Notes

This Is A Federal Railroad Success Story You'll Never Remember
The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide which cases warrant the exact and lengthy civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.

SMART-TD members and allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to keep two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight isn't over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to protect the health and safety of its employees and the general public. It develops and enforces regulations for rail safety, administers rail funding and researches strategies for improving rail and technologies. It also develops and implements a strategy to ensure that current infrastructure, rail services and capacity, and strategically expands and enhances the national rail network. The department expects all rail companies to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools to succeed and stay secure. This includes taking part in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees with full union participation, as well as protection against retaliation and providing employees with personal safety equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail laws and regulations. They perform routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties are applied to those who break the rail safety laws. The safety inspectors of the agency have a broad discretion on whether an individual violation is in line with the statutory description of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also examines all reports that regional offices submit to ensure that they are legal prior to imposing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels ensures that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is utilized only in those situations that are truly deserving of the impact of a civil penalty.

To be considered guilty of a civil infringement the employee of a rail company must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also be aware of and not adhere to these rules. The agency doesn't consider that an individual who acts on a supervisor's directive is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that passengers and goods travel within cities and metropolitan areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in 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 related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency also oversees rail financing which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the rail system of the United States. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically as well as coordinating the regional and national system planning and development.

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 choices for travel. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers as well as increasing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring the railway system continues to function efficiently.

Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, including those related to the size of the crews on trains. This issue has become controversial in recent years, with some states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads follow the same safety standards.

This rule also requires that each railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will enable FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. Additionally, this rule changes the standard of review for the special approval petition from determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether the operation would be as safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members.

During the public comment period on this rule, a large number of people supported a two-person crew requirement. In a formal letter, 29 people expressed their concern that a single member of the crew is not capable of responding with the speed required to respond to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factors are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.

Technology

Trains for passenger and freight use different technologies to improve efficiency, increase security, and increase safety. Rail industry jargon includes many unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also known as drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicle (also called drones).

Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It allows people to perform their jobs better and more safely. Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars initiative that will see bridges and tunnels rebuilt as well as tracks and power systems upgraded and stations rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvements program will be significantly increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential part of this effort. Recent National Academies review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. fela lawyers needs to focus on how its research contributes towards the department's primary objective of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by railways.

The agency could enhance its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy, established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help create standards within the industry.

FRA will be interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a standard that will clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that could be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency would like to know the level of risk that the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting new technologies to improve worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport is delivered intact. Examples of this technological advancement include the use of cameras and sensors to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Certain of these technologies provide a way for railroads to dispatch emergency personnel to the scene of an accident so they can swiftly mitigate damage and minimize risk to property and people.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most important innovations in rail. It is designed to keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations when trains are in a position they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human errors. It is a three-part process consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and a massive backend server that analyzes and collects data.


Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to improve safety and security. Amtrak is one example. It is testing the use of drones to assist train security personnel locate passengers and items in the event of an emergency. The company is also looking into other ways to use drones, such as using drones to conduct inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure, like replacing the lights on railway towers, which could be hazardous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that can be used in railways for passengers. It can detect objects or people on tracks and alert drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are particularly useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other problems in the evenings, when traffic is low and there are fewer witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is another important technological advancement in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other parties to track a traincar in real-time. Railcar operators and crews can benefit from greater accountability and visibility, which will help them to increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and delay in the delivery of freight.

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