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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail It also provides rail funding and studies strategies for improving rail safety.

FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to determine which cases warrant the exact and time consuming civil penalty process. This ensures that the most serious violations of punishment are punished.

SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be in the 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 employees as well as the public. It creates and enforces safety regulations for rail as well as manages funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technology. It also creates the implementation and maintenance of plans for the maintenance of the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department demands that all rail employers adhere to strict guidelines and empower their employees, and provide them with the tools to be safe and successful. This includes participation in the confidential close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees, with full union participation, as well as anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with the necessary personal protective equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of railway safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Anyone who violates the rail safety laws could be penalized civilly. The agency's safety inspectors are able to decide on the extent to which an incident falls within the statutory description of a civil penalty-worthy act. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division reviews all reports that are received by regional offices to determine legality prior to assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels ensures that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in cases that truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty.

A rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions, and not knowingly violate those guidelines to commit a criminal offense that is punishable by a civil penalty. However, the agency does not consider anyone who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the whole network that carries goods and passengers between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it is physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency also oversees rail financing, including grants and loans for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for new capacity, expanding the network strategically, and coordinating the regional and national system development and planning.

While the majority of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passengers and connect passengers with the places they'd like to travel to. The agency's focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet and ensuring the rail network continues operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a variety of federal regulations, including the ones pertaining to the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent years this issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation requiring two-person crews on trains. This final rule outlines the minimum crew size requirements at a federal level, ensuring that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires that every railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to better identify the specifics of each operation and compare them to the typical two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule will change the review standard for the special approval petition from to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether the operation would be as secure or as safe as a two-crewmember operation.

During the period of public comments for this rule, a number of people voted for a requirement for two people on the crew. In a letter to the editor, 29 people expressed their concerns that a single member of the crew would not be able to respond in a timely manner to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel on an elevated highway crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents and they think that a bigger crew would help ensure the safety of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Railroads for passenger and freight use numerous technologies to enhance efficiency, add safety, boost security and much more. Rail industry jargon includes a variety of distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicle (also called drones).

Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs -- it's empowering people to perform their jobs more effectively and safely. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to reality.

As part of its ongoing efforts to advance safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the entire nation, the federal employers liability act Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar initiative that will see bridges and tunnels restored, tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations reconstructed or replaced. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will substantially increase the agency's rail improvement programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central component of 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 people and goods by railways.

One area where the agency could be able improve its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the development of automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the main freight rail industry industry organization that focuses on research, policy, and standard-setting, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards for the implementation of the technology.

FRA is interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a standard that will clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also need to understand the level of safety risk that the industry perceives associated with implementing fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is considering adding additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety and make business processes more efficient and ensure that the cargo it transports arrives at its destination intact. Examples of such innovation range from the use of cameras and sensors to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders directly to accident sites to minimize the risk and damage to people and property.

One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be, and other accidents resulting from human mistakes. This system is a three-part process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge backend server that analyzes and collects data.

Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to increase safety and security. Amtrak is one example. It is experimenting with drones to help security personnel on trains find passengers and other items in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring different ways to use drones, including deploying drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure such as replacing the lighting on railway towers that could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send an alert to drivers when it's unsafe to travel. These types of technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized as well as other issues that can arise in the off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and fewer people are around to witness an accident.

Another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry is telematics which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to see the condition and status of a traincar through real-time tracking. Such capabilities give railcar operators and their crews more control and visibility. They can also help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in delivering freight to customers.