The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

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

FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases merit the lengthy and precise civil penalty process. This discretion helps ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are punished.

SMART-TD members and allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to ensure the health of employees and public. It develops and enforces rail safety regulations, administers rail funding and studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technology. It also formulates the implementation and maintenance of a plan for maintaining current rail services and infrastructure. It also expands and improves strategically the national rail network. The department expects that all rail companies adhere to strict guidelines that empower their employees and provide them with tools to be secure and productive. This includes taking part in the secure close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees with full participation from unions and protection against retaliation and providing employees with needed personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Civil penalties are imposed on those who violate fela railroad settlements safety laws. The agency's safety inspectors are able to decide on the extent to which an incident falls within the legal definition of a crime that is 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 ensures that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in those situations which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine.

Rail employees must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and be aware of the standards to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency does not believe an individual who acted in response to a supervisor's direction is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines "general railroad system" as the entire network that carries goods and passengers between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad at the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the general transportation system that trains, even though it is physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency oversees rail finance, which includes loans and grants to improve service and infrastructure. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's rail system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically and coordinating regional and national system's planning and development.

Although the majority of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passengers and connect people to the places they'd like to travel to. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience, improving the safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the railway system continues to function efficiently.

Railroads are required to abide with a variety of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of train crews. In recent years, this issue has become controversial. Some states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum crew size requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad operating a one-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements of each operation with the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule alters the review standard for an approval petition that is based on to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation is secure or as safe as an operation with two crew members.

During the public comment period for this rule, a lot of people backed the requirement of a two-person crew. A form letter sent by 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to train malfunctions or grade 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 crew will ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo.

Technology

Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ various technologies to enhance efficiency, improve security, increase safety and more. Rail industry jargon covers many specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also known as drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems, driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also called drones).

Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It empowers people to do their jobs better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are coming closer to reality.

The federal employers’ liability Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe, reliable, and affordable transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This multi-billion dollar project will see bridges, tunnels, tracks and power systems updated and stations renovated or replaced. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will substantially increase the agency's rail improvement programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key element in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communications with and using inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. But it must concentrate on how its research aids in the department's main objective of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by rail.

One area in which the agency could be able improve its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the development of automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research and policy, as well as standard setting and has established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help establish standards for the industry.

The FRA is interested in the development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This would apply to rail transit as well as vehicles on the road. The agency will also want to understand the level of risk to safety that the industry believes is associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether or not the industry is contemplating additional security measures to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are embracing technology to improve worker safety and make business processes more efficient and help ensure that the cargo it transports arrives at its destination in good condition. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to new railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to minimize the risk and minimize damages to property and individuals.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most significant developments in rail. It is designed to keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations where trains are on track they shouldn't and other accidents caused by human error. This system is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive and a huge backend server that gathers and analyzes data.

Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to enhance security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist passenger security staff in locating passengers and items on board trains in the event of an emergency. The company is also looking into different ways to use drones, including deploying drones to conduct inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure, like replacing the lights on railway towers, which can be hazardous for workers to climb.

Other technologies that could be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and issue drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to travel. These technologies are especially useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues during the evenings, when traffic is low and there are fewer witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is another important technological advancement in the railway industry. It allows shippers, railways and other stakeholders to track a traincar in real-time. These capabilities give railcar owners and crews better accountability and transparency and help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in the delivery of freight to customers.