The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies involved in intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the secure and reliable transportation of people and goods.

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

Definition

A federal railroad is a type of rail transport in the United States that is controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for the creation and enforcement of railway safety regulations, manages railway funding, and studies ways to improve rail transportation systems. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation which is responsible for intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all passenger and freight transport that uses the rail network of the United States. Additionally the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates the ownership and operation of intermodal facilities, like tracks, rights of way equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also coordinates federal rail transportation programs.

FRA's responsibilities also include establishing through regulation, and after an opportunity to comment, a procedure by which anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security issues or issues. The agency also formulates guidelines, conducts inspections and assesses the compliance of its rail laws in six different technical disciplines, including track signal, track, and train control; motive power and equipment; operating practices; hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.

The agency is charged with the responsibility of making sure the railway transportation system is secure, economical and sustainable. The agency also requires railroads to maintain a safe workplace and provide adequate training for their employees. Additionally, the agency establishes and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public gets a fair rate for their transportation services.

The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad employees. The agency also safeguards whistleblowers against retaliation from railroad companies. The agency also establishes a procedure for railroad employees to submit complaints regarding the conduct of their company.

The main goal of the agency is to facilitate the secure efficient, reliable, and secure movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America both now and in the future. The FRA achieves this by controlling rail safety, coordinating railroad assistance programmes and conducting research in support of improved railroad safety and national transportation policy as well as coordinating the development of rail networks and helping the private industry manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies, with no competition. This meant that the industry frequently abused its position in the market. Hence, Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent the abuses committed by railroad monopolies.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a government agency that makes regulations, manages funds for rail and researches ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It operates the railway infrastructure of the United States and supervises freight and passenger railroads. It is one of ten agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the current railway infrastructure.

The government's primary responsibility in the field of rail transportation is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and it has several divisions that manage the country's passenger and freight railroad operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections in six different technical disciplines, including track signalling, and train control, motive and equipment operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has several departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This oversees the programs that are meant to improve passenger and freight rail transportation, such as 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 requirements.

Another important duty of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes stopping railroads from discriminating against workers and ensuring that all railway employees injured are transported to the nearest hospital for initial aid treatment. It also prohibits railroads to deny or delay medical treatment for injured railway workers.

The FRA is the main regulator of the passenger and freight railway industries, but there are other organizations which manage the economic aspects of rail transport. The Surface Transportation Board, Fela accident Attorney for example, is in charge of setting rates and governing the economics of the sector. It is also responsible for regulating railroad mergers, line sales construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of regulations after opportunity for public input that allows anyone to complain about alleged safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in developed countries as and villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and federal Employers Liability processing factories, and then the final products from these factories to warehouses and stores. Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities including grain, oil and coal. In 2020, freight railroads carried more than a quarter of the freight volume in the United States [PDF(PDF).

A federal railroad operates like any other business, with departments for marketing and operations, sales and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales talks with customers and potential clients to determine the services they need and what they will cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these requirements at the cheapest cost to make money for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation, ensuring that every department is running smoothly.

The government offers support to railways in a variety ways including grants, to subsidised rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also provides funds to support and build new tracks and stations. These subsidies are often a part of the revenues that railroads receive through 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.

A key role of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains, as well as 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 identify trends.

In addition to these primary duties, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the economy and security of rail transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA seeks to lower the barriers that could delay railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a security technology that utilizes sensors and computers to stop a train in the event that 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 increased industrialization and brought more food items to the market in these regions. This made the country more independent and less dependent on imports.

In the latter part of the 19th century the railroad industry experienced a "Golden Age" that saw new, more efficient raillines were constructed and passenger travel became popular. The government's efforts to expand the railroad system was an important aspect. For instance, the government granted homesteaders land grants to encourage them to move to the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also partnered to construct the first transcontinental railroad which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.

In the first half century however, the demand for rail passenger services dwindled, while other modes of transportation such as cars and planes became more popular. Meanwhile, stifling regulation made it difficult for railroads to compete. The industry was plagued by a series of bankruptcies, service cuts, and deferred maintenance. Uninformed federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline.

Around 1970, federal government began to loosen the regulatory restrictions on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects like railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also created, which sets standards for rail safety and is one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation.

Since then, a large deal of investment has been made in the country's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to allow for faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to create more efficient freight rail. FRA hopes to continue to work with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the coming years. It is the responsibility of FRA to ensure that the transportation system of the United States operates as efficiently as possible.