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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 employ discretion to decide which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty procedure. This ensures that those violations most deserving of punishment are penalized.

SMART-TD and its allies made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed in the cabs of freight trains. The fight isn't over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to safeguard the safety and health of employees as well as the general public. It is responsible for developing and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also oversees the funding for rail and studies rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also creates and implements a plan to ensure that current infrastructure, services, and capacity and strategically expands and improves the nation's rail network. The department expects all railroad employers to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with tools to be successful and secure. This includes taking part in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up occupational health and safety committees with full union participation and anti-retaliation safeguards, and providing employees with the necessary personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Those who violate rail safety laws may be subject to civil penalties. The safety inspectors of the agency have a broad discretion on whether a particular violation meets the legal definition of a civil penalty-worthy act. 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 used in cases that warrant their use.

A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and knowingly disregard those standards to commit a criminal offense that is punishable by a civil penalty. However the agency doesn't take any person who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network that passengers and goods travel within metropolitan areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steelmill isn't considered to be part of the overall 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 movement of hazardous substances. The agency also manages financing for rail which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and with industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's railway system. This includes maintaining current rail infrastructure and services as well as addressing the need for new capacity, strategically expanding the network, and coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.

The agency is mostly responsible for freight transportation, but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to offer more options for passengers and connect passengers with the places they'd like to go. The agency's focus is on improving the passenger's experience as well as enhancing the safety of its current fleet, and making sure that the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a number of federal regulations, including the ones pertaining to the size and composition of train crews. This is an issue of contention in recent years, with a few states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are held 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 a risk assessment. This will enable FRA to compare the parameters of each operation with those of a two-person standard crew operation. Additionally this rule will change the standard of review for a special approval petition from determining whether the operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining if approving the operation would be as safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members.

During the time of public comments for this rule, a number of people voted for a requirement for two people on the crew. In a letter to the editor, 29 people expressed their concern that a single crewmember would not be able to respond as quickly to train accidents or malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail level 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 safety of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Freight and passenger railroads employ a wide array of technologies to increase efficiency, add safety, boost security and more. The rail industry vernacular contains a myriad of distinct terms and acronyms but some of the more notable innovations include machine vision systems, instrumentsed rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers and drones that are not piloted (commonly known as drones).

Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It allows people to do their jobs better and with greater security. Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion-dollar initiative that will see bridges and tunnels repaired as well as tracks and power systems upgraded and stations rebuilt or upgraded. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure fela law firm will substantially increase the agency's rail improvement programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central piece in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication with inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. It must continue to be aware of how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by railways.

The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads, the freight rail industry's primary industry organization that focuses on research, policy and standard-setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to assist in the development of industry standards for implementing the technology.

FRA will be interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will also need to understand the level of risk to safety that the industry perceives associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is contemplating additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting technology to improve worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport reaches its destination in good condition. Examples of this technological advancement vary from the use cameras and sensors to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo secure during transit. Some of these technologies offer railroads the ability to dispatch emergency personnel to the scene of an accident so they can swiftly mitigate risks to property and people.

One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be and other accidents that are caused by human mistakes. The system is comprised of three components consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a massive server that gathers and analyzes data.

Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to bolster security and safety. Amtrak for instance, is experimenting with drones to help train security personnel find passengers and other items in an emergency. Amtrak is also investigating different ways to use drones, for instance, using drones to inspect bridges and other infrastructure such as replacing the lighting on railway towers that could be dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that is used in passenger railroads. It is able to detect people or objects on tracks and warn drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These types of technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized as well as other issues that can arise during times when traffic is at its lowest and fewer people are around to witness an accident.

Another important technological breakthrough in the rail industry is telematics, which enables railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to view the status and condition of a traincar via real-time tracking. Traincar crews and operators will benefit from increased accountability and visibility which will allow them to improve efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and delay in the delivery of freight.