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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies.

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the precise and lengthy civil penalty process. This discretion helps ensure that those violations most deserving of punishment 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 is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to safeguard the health of employees and public. It is responsible for creating and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also manages rail funding, and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technologies. It also formulates plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current rail infrastructure and services. It also expands and improves strategically the rail network across the nation. The department requires that all rail companies adhere to strict rules, empower their employees and provide them with tools to be secure and productive. This includes participating in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees that have full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with personal protection equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of the rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties may be imposed on those who violate railroad safety laws. Safety inspectors at the agency have wide discretion to determine whether an act is within the statutory definition of an act punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also examines the reports that regional offices submit to ensure that they are legal prior to imposing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the field and regional levels helps ensure that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is utilized only in situations which truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty.

To be convicted of a civil violation the employee of a rail company must know the rules and regulations governing his or her actions. They also must be aware that they ignore 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 "general railroad system" as the entire system that carries goods and passengers within and between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steelmill isn't considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible to establish regulations for train operations, such as those relating to safety and the transportation of hazardous substances. The agency also oversees rail financing including loans and grants for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's rail infrastructure. This work includes maintaining current rail services and infrastructure and making sure that there is enough capacity strategically expanding the network as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.

Although the majority of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also handles passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people to the places they would like to travel to. The agency's focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet and ensuring the rail system continues to operate efficiently.

Railroads must comply with a range of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent years this issue has been a source of contention. Certain states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards.

This also requires every railroad operating one-person train crews to notify FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the standard for reviewing an approval request that is a special case from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is safer or safer than two-person crew operations.

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

Technology

Freight and passenger rails use different technologies to increase efficiency, improve security, and improve safety. The rail industry lingo includes a variety of unique terms and acronyms, however, some of the most significant developments include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones).

Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It helps people do their jobs better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and make the system more efficient. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality.

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

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key part of this effort. The most recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It still needs to be aware of how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods by rail.

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

The FRA is interested in the group’s creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This could be applicable to both rail transit and vehicles on the road. The agency would like to know the level of risk that the industry sees in fully automated operation, and if the industry is contemplating any additional safeguards to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting new technologies to increase worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport reaches its destination intact. Examples of this technological advancement include the use of cameras and sensors to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Certain of these technologies provide a way for railroads to send emergency responders to areas of accidents so that they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to people and property.

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, Federal Employers Liability Act as well as other accidents that result from human errors. This system consists of three parts: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a massive server that gathers and analyzes data.

Trains for passengers also adopt technology to increase safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to aid security personnel in finding passengers and other items onboard trains in case in an emergency. The company is also examining ways to make use of drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are hazardous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that is used in railways for passengers. It is able to detect objects or people on tracks and alert motorists that it is not safe to continue. These types of technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized and other problems in the off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and there are fewer people to witness an accident.

Another important technological advancement in the rail industry is telematics which enables railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to see the status and condition of a traincar by real-time tracking. These capabilities give railcar owners and their crews more accountability and visibility and can help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in the delivery of freight to customers.