The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, rail funding and research on rail improvement strategies.
FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases merit the lengthy and precise civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are punished.
SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be in the cabs of freight trains. The fight continues.
Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to protect the health of employees and public. It develops and enforces regulations for rail safety as well as manages funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies and new technologies. It also formulates the implementation and maintenance of plans for the maintenance of the current rail infrastructure and services. It also expands and improves strategically the national rail network. The department expects all rail employers to abide by strict rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with tools needed to be successful and secure. This includes participating in a confidential close-call reporting system, establishing 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 hundreds of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. fela law firm can be handed out to those who violate the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a wide discretion to determine if violations fall within the legal definition of an act that is punishable by civil penalties. Additionally, the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports received from regional offices to determine their legal sufficiency before assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised both at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied when they are necessary.
To be guilty of a civil violation an employee of a railroad must know the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also be aware of and ignore these rules. The agency does not believe an individual who acted on a supervisor's directive has committed a willful offense. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan and city areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steel mill is not considered part of the general rail system of transportation even being physically connected to it.
Regulation
The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages rail financing including loans and grants for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and the industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's railroad system. This work includes maintaining current rail infrastructure and services and making sure that there is enough capacity, strategically expanding the network and coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.

Although the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also handles the transportation of passengers. The agency is working to connect people with the places they'd like to visit and offer more options for travel. The agency's primary focus is on improving the experience of passengers as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues operating efficiently.
Railroads are required to comply with a variety of federal regulations, including those that deal with the size and composition of train crews. This is an issue of contention in recent years, with several states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size of crew requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.
This rule also requires each railroad that has a single-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will enable 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 secure or safer than two-person crew operation.
During the public comment period on this rule, a large number of people expressed support for a two-person crew requirement. A form letter sent by 29 people expressed their concern that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents or assist emergency responders at a highway-rail grade crossing. Commenters noted that human factors are the reason for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger team would ensure the security of the train and its cargo.
Technology
Freight and passenger railroads employ a wide array of technologies to enhance efficiency, add security, increase safety and more. Rail industry jargon comprises various unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems, driverless train, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drones).
Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It empowers people to perform their jobs more effectively and safer. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to becoming a reality.
The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars effort that will see tunnels and bridges repaired tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations rebuilt or upgraded. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly increase the agency's rail improvement programs.
The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential component in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it excelled in keeping in touch with inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It is still required to be aware of how its research contributes towards the department's primary objective of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by rail.
The agency could enhance its effectiveness by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the main freight rail industry association that focuses on policy, research and standardization, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to assist in the development of industry standards for the implementation of the technology.
FRA will be interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy. It 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 will want to know the amount of risk that the industry sees in fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is contemplating any additional safeguards to minimize the risk.
Innovation
Railroads are using technology to improve worker safety and improve business processes. efficient and ensure that the cargo it transports arrives at its destination intact. Examples of such technological advancement include the use of cameras and sensors to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo secure during transit. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to minimize risk and damage to property and people.
One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop train-to-train collisions, situations where trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be and other accidents that are caused by human errors. The system is a three-part system comprised of locomotives onboard that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and an enormous backend server that collects and analyzes data.
Passenger railroads also embrace technology to enhance security and safety. Amtrak is one example. It is experimenting with the use of drones in order to help train security personnel find passengers and other items in an emergency. The company is also examining ways to use drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lights on railway towers that are hazardous for workers to climb.
Other technologies that can be used 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 technologies are especially effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other problems in the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are less witnesses to an accident.
Telematics is a significant technological advance in the railway industry. It allows shippers, railways and other stakeholders, to monitor a traincar in real-time. These capabilities give railcar owners and their crews more accountability and visibility and can aid in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in the delivery of freight to customers.