The Advanced Guide To Federal Railroad
The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies.
FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to determine which cases warrant the exact and time-consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.
SMART-TD and its allies made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. fela claims continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to protect the health and welfare of employees and the public. It develops and enforces safety regulations for rail and oversees the funding for rail. It also researches rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also formulates and implements a plan to maintain current infrastructure, rail services and capacity, and strategically develops and enhances the national rail network. The department requires that all rail employers adhere to strict regulations that empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be safe and successful. This includes participating in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees, with full union participation, as well as anti-retaliation safeguards, and providing employees with personal protective equipment.
Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations into complaints of noncompliance. Those who violate rail safety laws may be penalized civilly. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad decision-making power to determine if a violation falls under the legal definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received from regional offices to determine their legal sufficiency before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the field and regional levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is applied only in situations that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.
A rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his actions and be aware of the rules to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. However, the agency does not consider any individual who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, even though it is physically connected.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages rail financing which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency works with other DOT agencies and with industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's railway system. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically and coordinating regional and national system planning and development.
The agency is responsible for freight transportation but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people with the places they would like to travel to. The agency is focused primarily on enhancing the experience for passengers, enhancing safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail network continues operating efficiently.
Railroads are required to abide with a range of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent times this issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation mandating two-person crews in trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.
This law also requires that each railroad operating a one-person crew notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to better understand the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with those of a typical two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule will change the standard of review for the special approval petition from to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether the operation would be as safer or more secure than a two-crewmember operation.
During the public comment period on this rule, a lot of people expressed support for a two-person crew requirement. In a letter to the editor, 29 people expressed their concerns that a single member of the crew is not in a position to respond as quickly to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel on an elevated highway crossing. The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half railroad accidents and they believe that a larger crew will ensure the safety of both the train and its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger railroads employ a wide array of technologies to enhance efficiency, increase security, increase safety and more. Rail industry jargon comprises a variety of unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also known as drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).
Technology isn't just replacing some jobs, it's also empowering people to perform their jobs better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and make the system more efficient. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to becoming reality.
As part of its ongoing effort to advance secure, reliable and affordable transportation for the entire nation, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar project will see bridges, tunnels tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations being rebuilt or replaced. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically increase the agency's rail improvement programs.
The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central element in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled at keeping in touch using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. But it must be more focused on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring safe transportation of goods and people by railway.
The agency could improve its effectiveness by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the main freight rail industry business organization that is focused on policy, research and standard-setting and has created a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards for implementing the technology.
The FRA is interested in the creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This could be applicable to both rail transit and vehicles on the road. The agency will also want to know the level of safety risk that the industry believes is associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to mitigate that risk.
Innovation
Rail companies are adopting new technologies to increase worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered intact. Examples of this technological advancement include the use of sensors and cameras to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies even provide a way for railroads to send emergency responders to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the damage and reduce the risk to property and people.
One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be and other accidents resulting from human errors. The system is comprised of three parts consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive; and a massive server that gathers and analyzes data.
Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to improve security and safety. Amtrak is one example. It is testing the use of drones in order to help train security personnel find passengers and other items in the event of an emergency. The company is also looking into other possibilities to utilize drones, for instance, using them to perform inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure, like replacing the lighting on railway towers, which could be dangerous for workers to climb.
Other technologies that can be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and issue a warning to drivers if it's unsafe to proceed. These types of technology are especially valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings as well as other issues that can arise during off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.
Telematics is yet another significant technological breakthrough in the railway industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other parties to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. Crews and railcar operators can benefit from increased accountability and transparency which can help them increase efficiency and avoid unnecessary maintenance. It will also help delay in the delivery of freight.