The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail safety.
FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This helps ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.
SMART-TD and its allies made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be allowed to sit in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. The fight is not over.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to safeguard the health of its employees and public. It creates and enforces rail safety regulations as well as manages funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies and new technologies. It also creates plans, implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of the current rail infrastructure and services. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department demands that all rail companies adhere to strict regulations that empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be secure and productive. This includes an anonymous close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the needed personal protective gear.
FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Those who violate the safety rules for rail can be subject to civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have a wide discretion to determine if violations fall within the legal definition of an offense that is punishable by civil penalties. Additionally, 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. This discretion is exercised at both the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in cases that warrant their use.
Rail employees must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and be aware of the guidelines to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. The agency does not consider that a person who acts in response to a supervisor's direction is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that passengers and goods travel within metropolitan areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steelmill isn't 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 pertaining to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency is responsible for managing rail finance, which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for new capacity and expanding the network strategically, and coordinating the regional and national system planning and development.
The agency is responsible for freight transportation but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people with the destinations they desire and offer more choices for travel. The agency's primary focus is on improving the passenger's experience, enhancing safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail network is operating efficiently.
Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, including those related to the size of the crews on trains. In recent years, this issue has become a source of controversy. Some states have passed legislation that requires two-person teams on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum crew size requirements at a federal level, ensuring that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards.
This also requires every railroad that operates a one-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to compare the parameters of each operation with the standard two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the criteria for reviewing a special approval request to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety to determining if the operation is as safe or more secure than a two-person crew operation.
During the public comment period for this rule, many people supported a two-person crew requirement. In fela railroad accident lawyer expressed their concern that a single crewmember is not able to respond with the speed required to respond to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors account for more than half of railroad accidents and believe that a larger team could help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.
Technology
Railroads for passenger and freight use numerous technologies to improve efficiency, add safety, boost security and much more. Rail industry jargon comprises many distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems, driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).
Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It helps people perform their jobs more effectively and more safely. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar effort will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems, and tracks upgraded and stations renovated or replaced. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly increase the agency's rail improvement programs.
The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key component of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled in keeping in touch with inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. However, it needs to be more focused on how its research helps the department achieve its primary strategic goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods by railway.
The agency could enhance its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research and policy, as well as standard setting created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help develop standards within the industry.
The FRA is interested in the group’s creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This could be applicable to rail transit as well as on-road vehicles. The agency will also be looking to understand the level of risk to safety that the industry sees when implementing a fully automated system and whether or not the industry is contemplating additional protections to minimize the risk.
Innovation
Rail companies are adopting new technologies to increase worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport is delivered intact. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency personnel directly to accident sites to minimize risk and minimize damage to property and people.
Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most important innovations in rail. It can prevent train-to-train accidents, situations where trains are on track they shouldn't and other accidents caused by human error. This system is made up of three components consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that collects and analyses data.
Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to bolster security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to aid security personnel in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in case in the event of an emergency. The company is also looking into different ways to use drones, such as using drones to inspect bridges as well as other infrastructure, such as replacing the lighting on railway towers, which can be dangerous for workers to climb.
Smart track technology is a different technology that can be utilized in railways for passengers. It can detect people or objects on tracks and alert drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These kinds of technologies are particularly beneficial in detecting unsafe crossings as well as other issues that can arise in the off-hours, when traffic volumes are lowest and fewer people are around to witness an accident.
Telematics is a significant technological breakthrough in the railway industry. It allows railways, shippers and other stakeholders, to monitor a traincar in real-time. Traincar crews and operators can benefit from greater accountability and transparency which will allow them increase efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays when delivering freight.