Notes

So You've Bought Federal Railroad ... Now What?
The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, provides rail funding and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This helps ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

Members of SMART-TD and their allies made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to protect the health and welfare of employees and the public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also oversees rail funding and studies rail improvement strategies and technology. It also creates and implements a plan to maintain current rail services, infrastructure and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the nation's rail network. The department expects all rail employers to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with tools to succeed and stay safe. This includes taking part in an anonymous close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees, with full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and giving employees the necessary personal protective gear.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail regulations and laws. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Anyone who violates rail safety laws may be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have broad discretion over whether an incident falls within the legal definition of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties. Additionally, the Office of Chief Counsel's safety department examines all reports submitted by regional offices for legality prior to assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the field and regional levels helps ensure that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in cases which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.

To be considered guilty of a civil offense, a rail employee must know the rules and regulations governing his or her actions. They also must be aware that they disregard these standards. However the agency does not take any person who acts under a directive from a supervisor as having committed a willful violation. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire network that carries goods and passengers within and between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad in 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 sets train regulations, including those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency also oversees rail financing including loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to devise strategies for improving the rail system of the United States. This includes ensuring the current rail services and infrastructure and addressing the need for new capacity, strategically expanding the network and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development.

While the majority of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also handles passenger transportation. The agency is working to offer more options for passengers and connect passengers with the places they would like to go. The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring the rail network continues to operate efficiently.


Railroads are required to comply with a range of federal regulations, including the ones pertaining to the size and composition of crews on trains. This issue has become controversial in recent years, with several states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies the minimum crew size requirements at a federal level, ensuring that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that has one-person train crews to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to better identify the specifics of each operation and compare them to those of a normal two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the standard for reviewing an approval request that is a special case to determine if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as secure or less risky than a two-person crew operations.

During the public comment period on this rule, a large number of people supported a two-person crew requirement. In a form letter, 29 people expressed their concern that a single member of the crew would not be capable of responding in a timely manner to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel on an elevated highway crossing. Commenters noted that human factor are responsible for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the security of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails use various technologies to improve efficiency, improve safety, and boost security. The rail industry vernacular contains a myriad of specific terms and acronyms, however, some of the most notable innovations include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly called drones).

Technology isn't just about replacing certain jobs. It allows people to do their jobs better and with greater security. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to becoming a reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to advance secure, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country In its ongoing effort to ensure safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the nation, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion dollar project will see bridges, tunnels tracks, power systems, and tracks updated, and stations renovated or replaced. The FRA's rail improvements program will be substantially increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a crucial part of this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs from a range of stakeholders. It must continue to consider how its research contributes to the department's main goal of ensuring the safety of people and goods by railways.

One area in which the agency might be able to increase its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the advancement of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail industry organization that focuses on research, policy and standard setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards for the implementation of the technology.

FRA is interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that could be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency would like to know the degree of risk the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and if the industry is considering additional safeguards to minimize the risk.

fela lawsuits are embracing technology to enhance worker safety, increase efficiency in business processes and ensure that the freight they transport is delivered in good condition. Examples of this kind of innovations vary from the use sensors and cameras to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to reduce the risk and minimize damage to property and people.

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

Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to enhance safety and security. Amtrak for instance, is experimenting with drones in order to help security personnel on trains locate passengers and other items in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring other possibilities to utilize drones, for instance, using them to perform inspections of bridges and other infrastructure, like replacing the lights on railway towers, which could be 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 issue drivers with a warning if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These types of technology are especially valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings as well as other issues that can arise during times when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.

Telematics is yet another significant technological advancement in the rail industry. It allows railways, shippers and other stakeholders, to monitor a traincar in real-time. Such capabilities give railcar operators and their crews more control and visibility. They can also aid in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers.

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