The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

FRA field inspectors employ discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the precise and time-consuming 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 when they began pushing the FRA to keep two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to ensure the health and safety of employees and the public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing rail safety regulations. It also administers rail funding and studies rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also formulates and implements a plan to maintain current rail services, infrastructure and capacity, and federal Employers’ strategically expands and improves the nation's rail network. The department expects that all rail operators adhere to strict regulations and empower their employees, and provide them with the tools to be safe and successful. This includes taking part in a confidential close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the required personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They perform routine inspections on equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Civil penalties may be applied to those who break the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors at the agency have wide discretion to determine whether an act is within the statutory definition of an offense 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. This discretion is exercised at both the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used when they are necessary.

To be considered guilty of a civil infringement an employee of a railroad must be aware of the rules and regulations governing the conduct of his or her employees. They also must be aware that they not adhere to these rules. However, the agency does not take any person who acts under 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 allows passengers and goods to travel within cities and metropolitan areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad at the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the overall transportation system that trains even being physically connected to it.

Regulation

The federal employers’ liability Railroad Administration sets train regulations, ranging from those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency manages rail finance, including grants and loan for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the rail system of the United States. This includes maintaining existing rail infrastructure and services and making sure that there is enough capacity and strategically expanding the network and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development.

While most of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also handles the transportation of passengers. The agency is trying to connect people to destinations they desire and offer more alternatives for travel. The agency is focused primarily on enhancing the experience for passengers, enhancing safety of the existing fleet and ensuring the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, including those pertaining to the size of the 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 law also requires that each railroad operating a one-person crew notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to better identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the parameters of a typical two-person crew operation. In addition, this rule changes the standard of review for a special approval petition from to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether approving the operation is safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members.

During the time of public comment on this rule, a lot of people voiced their support for a requirement of two persons on the crew. A letter from 29 individuals emphasized their concerns that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents, or assist emergency responders at a highway-rail grade crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors account for more than half all railroad accidents and they believe that a larger crew could help ensure the safety of both the train and its cargo.

Technology

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

Technology isn't just replacing some jobs; it's helping people to do their job more efficiently and with greater security. Passenger railroads are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to becoming reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to improve safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the entire nation The Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar project that will see bridges and tunnels restored tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations rebuilt or replaced. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly expand the agency's rail improvements programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central component of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it was successful in keeping in touch with and using inputs from a wide range of stakeholders. But it still needs to be more focused on how its research helps the department achieve its primary strategic goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods by rail.

One area in which the agency may be able improve its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the advancement of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy and has established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help create standards within the industry.

The FRA is interested in the development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This would apply to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency will need to know the degree of risk the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and whether the industry is considering additional measures to mitigate the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are embracing technology to increase worker safety and improve business processes. efficient and help ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination in good condition. Examples of such technological advancement vary from the use cameras and sensors to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to minimize danger and minimize the damages to property and individuals.

One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be, as well as other accidents resulting from human error. It is a three-part system comprised of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a massive backend server that gathers and analyzes data.

Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to bolster safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to aid security personnel in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in the event of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to use drones. They could be used to check bridges and other infrastructure or to replace the lights on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that can be utilized in railways for passengers. It can detect people or objects on tracks and notify drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These kinds of technology are especially valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other problems in the off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.

Another significant technological advance in the rail industry is telematics, which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to see the condition and status of a traincar through real-time tracking. Railcar operators and crews can benefit from greater accountability and transparency which can help them to improve efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.