The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 departments that deal with intermodal transportation. Its purpose is to ensure the safe and reliable transportation of goods and people.

FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track, train control and signal systems, as well as operating practices. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

Federal railroads are rail transporters in the United States controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations governing railways and regulates funds for railroads, and conducts research to improve rail transportation. The FRA is one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all passenger and freight transportation that utilizes the nation's railway network. In addition the agency supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. Additionally, the agency oversees the management and ownership of all intermodal facilities such as tracks, right-of-way, equipment, real property and rolling stock. It also handles the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's duties include establishing, through regulation, following an notification and comment, a process by which anyone can submit a make a complaint to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or deficiencies. The agency also develops policies, conducts inspections and evaluates compliance with its rail laws in six technical disciplines, including track, signal, and train control locomotive power and equipment; operating practices hazardous materials and highway-rail grade intersections.

The agency has the responsibility of making sure the railroad transportation system is safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly. As a result, the agency requires railroads to provide the safety of their workers and provide adequate training for their employees. In addition, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public receives a fair rate for their transportation services.

In addition, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad employees, as well as protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also sets up an avenue for railroad employees to make complaints regarding the conduct of their company.

The main goal of the FRA is to ensure the safe, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people for a stronger America now and in future. The FRA accomplishes this by regulating rail safety, managing programs for assistance to railroads conducting research in support of better safety of railroads and national transportation policy, coordinating rail networking development and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads controlled the market with no competition. As a result, railroads often misused their position in the marketplace. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as and other regulatory agencies, to limit the monopolies' exploitation of railroads.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a federal agency that makes regulations, manages funds for rail and researches ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It operates the rail infrastructure of the United States and supervises passenger and freight railroads. It is one of the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding current railway systems, ensuring ability of the rail industry to meet increasing demand for freight and travel, as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning.

Security is the primary responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and has several divisions responsible for overseeing the country's freight and passenger railway operations. The largest of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, which is home to about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections that determine the compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines: track signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This oversees the programs designed to improve freight and passenger rail transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is also in charge of the grants that are given to help railways, and it collaborates with other agencies to develop plans for the nation's rail needs.

The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws related to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminating against workers, and making sure that all railway employees injured receive transportation to the nearest hospital for first aid treatment. Railroads are also prohibited from delay or refuse medical treatment for injured railway workers.

The FRA is the primary regulator for the freight and passenger rail industry, but other organizations oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for setting rates and managing economics in the sector. It is also the regulator for railroad mergers, line sales, construction and abandonment. After a period of public consultation the agency is responsible for establishing regulations that will allow anyone to file a complaint about any alleged safety issues with rail.

Functions

Railroads transport goods and people to and from cities in developed nations, as well as remote villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing factories, and the finished products from those facilities to stores and warehouses. Rail is a vital form of transportation for a number of essential commodities including oil, grains and coal. In 2020, freight rail carried over a quarter of the nation's total freight volume [PDF(PDF).

A federal railroad operates like any other business with departments for marketing, sales, operations and an executive department. The marketing and sales department consults with customers and potential clients to determine the services they need and what they need to cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost possible to make money for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation and ensures that each department is running efficiently.

The government provides support to railways through a variety of ways such as grants and subsidised rates on government traffic. Congress also provides funds to support and build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often in addition to the revenue railroads receive from ticket sales and freight contracts.

In the United States, the government has the passenger railway Amtrak. It is a quasi public for-profit corporation, with the United States Government as a major stockholder.

The federal employers liability Railroad Administration's (FRA) primary function is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on security of rail lines to determine trends and areas that require improvement or attention from regulators and to determine trends.

In addition to these primary functions, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the economy and security of railroad transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency, aims to reduce the obstacles that hinder railroads in the implementation of positive train control (PTC). PTC is a security technology that uses sensors and computers on board to stop a train automatically when it is too close to another object or vehicle.

History

The first railroads in the United States were constructed in the 1820s and 1830s, largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in these areas and also brought more food products to the market. This allowed the country become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports.

In the 19th century's final years, the railroad industry enjoyed a "Golden Age" that saw new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger transportation became popular. This was largely due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for example granted land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to construct the first transcontinental railway, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.

However in the early part of the 20th century, demand for passenger railroad services declined and other transportation options like automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while stifling regulations hindered railroads' ability to compete economically. The industry was plagued by a string of bankruptcy as well as service cuts and deferred maintenance. Additionally, a misguided federal railway regulations led to the decline of the railroad industry.

In the year 1970, the federal government began to ease the regulatory burdens on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee the economic aspects of the industry such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which supervises freight and passenger transportation and sets standards for rail safety was also established.

Since then, a large deal of investment has been made in the country's railroad infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example, has been rebuilt to accommodate more efficient, faster and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. Efforts have also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems. FRA hopes to continue to work with all transportation agencies to ensure safe and reliable rails in the near future. It is the agency's job to help make sure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as possible.