Notes

3 Reasons You're Federal Railroad Is Broken (And How To Repair It)
The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for safety regulations for rail and enforcement, rail funding, and research on improving rail strategies.

FRA inspectors on the ground make use of discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.

SMART-TD and its allies created history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be allowed in the cabs of freight trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to protect the health of employees as well as the public. It is responsible for creating and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also manages rail funding and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technology. It also formulates and implements a strategy to ensure the current infrastructure, services, and capacity, and strategically develops and improves the national rail network. The department requires all rail companies to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be successful and secure. This includes participating in a confidential close-call reporting system, setting up 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 regulations and laws. They perform routine inspections on equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Those who violate rail safety laws may be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors at the agency have wide discretion to determine whether an act is within the legal definition of an act that is punishable by civil penalties. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division reviews all reports that are received from regional offices to determine their legality prior to 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 cases that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil fine.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and knowingly disregard those guidelines to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. However the agency doesn't consider anyone who follows a directive by a supervisor as having committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system over which goods and passengers travel within cities and metropolitan areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steel mill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it is physically connected.

Regulation

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

Although the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also handles passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people to the places they want and provide more choices for travel. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience and improving the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the rail network continues to operate efficiently.

Railroads must comply with a variety of federal regulations, including the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. This is an issue of contention in recent years, with a few states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum size of crew 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 an analysis of risk. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements of each operation with those of a two-person standard crew operation. This rule also alters the review standard of an application for special approval from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is as safe or more secure than a two-person crew operations.

During the period of public comment for this rule, a number of people voiced their support for a requirement of a two person crew. A letter written by 29 individuals emphasized their concerns that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents, or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents and believe that a larger crew could help ensure the safety of both the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails employ different technologies to increase efficiency, enhance safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon covers many distinct terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also known as drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems, driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones).

Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs, it's also empowering individuals to perform their work more effectively and safely. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to becoming a reality.


As part of its ongoing efforts to advance safe, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar effort will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations being rebuilt or replaced. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly expand the agency's rail improvements programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key component of this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. But it must concentrate on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of goods and people via rail.

One area where the agency might be able to increase its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the advancement of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads, the freight rail industry's primary business organization that is focused on research, policy and standardization and has created a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards for implementing the technology.

FRA is interested in the creation of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will want to know the amount of risk that the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is contemplating any additional measures to mitigate that risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are embracing technology to improve worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered intact. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies offer railroads the ability to send emergency responders to the scene of an accident so they can quickly mitigate the damage and reduce the risk to property and lives.

One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks they shouldn't be, as well as other accidents that are caused by human mistakes. This system consists of three parts of onboard locomotive systems that track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive; and a huge server that collects and analyses data.

Passenger railroads also embrace technology to enhance safety and security. Amtrak for instance, is testing the use of drones in order to help train security personnel find passengers and other items in an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to make use of drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lights on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send out drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to proceed. These kinds of technologies can be particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during times when traffic volumes are lowest and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.

Telematics is a significant technological advancement in the railway industry. It allows railways, shippers and other stakeholders to monitor a traincar in real-time. Crews and railcar operators can benefit from increased accountability and transparency which will allow them to increase efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays when delivering freight.

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