Notes

What's Holding Back This Federal Railroad Industry?
The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, as well as funding for rail, and research on rail improvement strategies.

FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This ensures that those violations most deserving of punishment are penalized.

SMART-TD and its allies created history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be allowed to sit in the cabs of freight trains. The fight isn't over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to protect the health of employees and public. It develops and enforces rail safety regulations as well as manages funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technologies. It also formulates plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also develops and improves the national rail network. The department requires all rail companies to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and secure. This includes the confidential close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees, with full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the needed personal protective equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties are imposed on those who violate rail safety laws. The safety inspectors of the agency have broad discretion over whether an incident falls within the legal definition of a criminal penalty-worthy act. In addition, the Office of Chief Counsel's safety department reviews all reports that are received by regional offices for legality before determining penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in those situations that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil penalty.

To be guilty of a civil infringement an employee of a railroad must know the rules and regulations that govern their actions. They must also knowingly not adhere to these rules. The agency does not believe that a person who acts in response to a supervisor's direction has committed a willful offence. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network over which goods and passengers travel within metropolitan and city areas or between them. A plant railroad's trackage in the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the general rail system of transportation, even being physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency oversees rail finance, including grants and loan to improve service and infrastructure. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's rail system. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for new capacity and expanding the network strategically and coordinating regional and national system development and planning.

Although the majority of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also oversees passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people to the destinations they desire and offer more choices for travel. The agency's focus is on improving the passenger's experience as well as enhancing the safety of its current fleet, and making sure that the rail system continues to operate efficiently.

Railroads are required to abide with a variety of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of train crews. In recent years this issue has become controversial. Certain states have passed legislation that requires two-person teams on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that operates a one-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will enable FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the criteria for reviewing an application for special approval from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is safer or more secure than a two-person crew operations.

During the public comment period for this rule, many people supported the requirement of a two-person crew. In a letter to the editor 29 people voiced their concern that a single crew member will not be in a position to respond with the speed required to respond to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel at the highway-rail level crossing. The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half of railroad accidents, and they believe that a larger team would help ensure the safety of both the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Freight and passenger railroads employ various technologies to improve efficiency, increase security, improve safety and more. The rail industry vernacular contains a myriad of unique terms and acronyms, however, some of the most significant developments include machine vision systems, instrumentsed rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly called drones).

fela attorneys doesn't just replace some jobs. It helps people perform their jobs better and more safely. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other developments like autonomous rail cars are moving closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote secure affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This multi-billion dollar project will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems and tracks updated, and stations renovated or replaced. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically expand the agency's rail improvements programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key component of this effort. The most recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. However, it needs to concentrate on how its research aids in the department's main objective of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by rail.

One area where the agency might be able to increase its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the development of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research and policy, as well as standard setting and has established the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help develop standards within the industry.

FRA will be interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy. It 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 would like to know the amount of risk that the industry perceives with 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, make business processes more efficient, and ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination in good condition. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies provide a way for railroads to dispatch emergency personnel to the scene of an accident so they can swiftly reduce damage and reduce the risk to people and property.


One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be, and other accidents that are caused by human mistakes. The system is a three-part system comprised of locomotives onboard that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and an enormous backend server that analyzes and collects data.

Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to enhance safety and security. Amtrak, for example, is testing the use of drones in order to help security personnel on trains locate passengers and items in an emergency. Amtrak is also investigating different ways to use drones, for instance, using drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure for example, replacing the lights on railway towers, which could be hazardous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology that can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and issue an alert to drivers when it's unsafe for them to proceed. These kinds of technologies can be particularly beneficial in detecting unsafe crossings as well as other issues that can arise during off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and fewer people are around to witness an accident.

Telematics is yet another significant technological advancement in the rail industry. It allows railways, shippers and other stakeholders, to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews greater accountability and transparency and assist them in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in the delivery of freight to customers.

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