The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail safety.
FRA field inspectors use discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the precise and lengthy civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are punished.
SMART-TD and its allies made history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed to sit in the cabs of freight locomotives. trains. The fight continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to ensure the health of its employees and public. It formulates and enforces rail safety regulations, administers rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies and technology. It also develops, implements and maintains a plan for maintaining current rail services and infrastructure. It also develops and improves the national rail network. The department expects that all rail companies adhere to strict regulations, empower their employees and provide them with tools to be safe and successful. This includes participation in the secure close call reporting system, setting up occupational health and safety committees that have full union participation, as well as anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with needed personal safety equipment.
Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Anyone who violates rail safety laws may be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors at the agency have wide discretion to determine if an act is within the statutory definition of an act punishable with civil penalties. Additionally, the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division reviews all reports that are received by regional offices for legal sufficiency before assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in situations that warrant them.
To be guilty of a civil infringement the employee of a rail company must know the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also knowingly ignore these rules. The agency does not believe that an individual who acts in response to a supervisor's direction is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire system that carries goods and passengers between cities and metropolitan areas. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, despite the fact that it's physically connected.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains, such as those relating to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency is responsible for managing rail finance, including grants and loan for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and with industry to devise strategies to improve the country's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for capacity expansion, expanding the network strategically as well as coordinating the regional and national system development and planning.
Although the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also oversees passenger transportation. The agency is trying to connect people to destinations they desire and offer more alternatives for travel. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience as well as enhancing the safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the railway system continues to function efficiently.
Railroads are required to comply with a number of federal regulations, including those that deal with the size and composition of train crews. This issue has become an issue of contention in recent years, with some states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule outlines the minimum requirements for crew size at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards.
This rule also requires each railroad operating a one-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. 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 changes the standard of review for an approval petition that is based on determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether approving the operation is safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members.
During the time of public comment for this rule, a number of people voted for a requirement for two people on the crew. A letter from 29 people outlined their concerns that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train malfunctions or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factors are the reason for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew could ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger rails employ various technologies to improve efficiency, enhance safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon includes various specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems, driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).
Technology isn't just replacing some jobs -- it's empowering individuals to perform their work better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are getting closer to reality.
As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for the nation, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars initiative that will see tunnels and bridges rebuilt as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically grow the agency's rail improvement programs.
The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key element in this effort. Recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. It must continue to focus on how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring safe movement of goods and people by railways.
The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and supporting 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 the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help create standards within the industry.
FRA will be interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will need to know the degree of risk the industry sees in fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to minimize the risk.
Innovation
Railroads are embracing technology to boost worker safety and improve business processes. efficient and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination intact. fela claims railroad employees of such innovation range from the use of cameras and sensors to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo secure during transit. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel directly to sites of accidents to minimize the risk and minimize damages to property and individuals.
One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be, as well as other accidents resulting from human mistakes. This system is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive, and an enormous backend server that analyzes and collects data.
Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to enhance security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist passenger security personnel in finding passengers and other items onboard trains in case in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to use drones. They could be used to check bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are 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 send out drivers with a warning if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These kinds of technologies are particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during times when traffic levels are lower and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.
Telematics is yet another significant technological breakthrough in the rail industry. It allows shippers, railways and other stakeholders, to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews greater control and visibility. They can also help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in delivering freight to customers.