The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies that deal with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and efficient transportation of people and goods.

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

Definition

A federal railroad is a type of rail transport in the United States that is controlled by the government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces railway regulations, administers railroad funds, and conducts research to improve rail transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation which is responsible for intermodal transportation, and its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all passenger and freight transportation that is conducted through the nation's rail network. The agency also coordinates the federal funding for rail transportation, and helps with the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor passenger service. The agency also regulates ownership and operation of intermodal facilities such as tracks, right of way equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also coordinates federal rail transportation programs.

FRA's responsibilities include establishing through regulation, following the notice and Railroad comments are allowed the procedure by which anyone can submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or inconsistencies. The agency also develops guidelines, conducts inspections and reviews the compliance of its rail laws in six different technical disciplines, including track, signal, and train control as well as motive power and equipment; operating practices as well as hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.

The agency is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the railroad transportation system is safe, economical and environmentally sustainable. The agency also demands that railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide adequate training for their employees. In addition, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public gets an equitable price for their transportation services.

In addition the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad employees and protect whistleblowers from being retaliated against by railroad carriers. The agency also sets up a complaint procedure for railroad employees to submit complaints about the conduct of the company.

The primary goal of the FRA is to enable the secure efficient, reliable, and secure transportation of goods and people for a strong America, now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through overseeing the safety of railroads, regulating railroad assistance programs, conducting research to support better safety of railroads and national rail transportation policies and coordination, as well as supporting the development of rail networks as well as helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were large monopolies that had no competition. As a result, the industry often abused its position in the marketplace. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as along with other regulatory agencies, to curb the monopolies' exploitation of railroads.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a government agency that establishes regulations, manages funds for rail and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It operates the railroad infrastructure of the United States and supervises passenger and freight railroads. It is one of ten agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding current rail systems, ensuring the ability of the rail industry to meet the growing demand for freight and travel, as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning.

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

FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs that aim at enhancing passenger and freight railway transport, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies to determine the nation's rail requirements.

Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws that pertain to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminate against workers and ensuring that railway workers injured are taken to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. It also prohibits railroads from refusing or delaying medical treatment to injured railway employees.

The FRA is the primary regulator of the rail passenger and freight industry, but other agencies oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for example, is in charge of setting rates and managing the financial aspects of the industry. It is also responsible for regulating mergers in the railroad industry lines sales, construction and abandonment. After the public consultation period, the agency is also responsible for establishing rules that permit anyone to report any suspected safety issues with rail.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as and villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing factories, and then the final products from those facilities to warehouses and stores. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for many vital products, including coal, oil, and grains. In 2020, freight rail transported more than a quarter of the country's total freight volume [PDF].

Federal railroads function like any other business with departments for marketing, sales, operations and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales works with potential and current customers to determine the type of rail services they need and what those services should cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that satisfy those needs at the lowest cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation, making sure each department is functioning efficiently.

The government provides support to railways by a variety of methods such as grants and subsidised rates for government traffic. Congress also provides funds to support and build new track and stations. These subsidies are often added to the money that railroads earn through tickets and freight contracts.

Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi public for-profit corporation, with the United States Government as a major stockholder.

A major function of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains, as well as the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also analyzes and collects data on rail safety in order to identify trends and areas that require more or better regulation.

In addition to these primary tasks, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the economy and security of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA is working to eliminate obstacles that can hinder railroads in implementing positive train control (PTC). PTC is an emergency safety system that utilizes sensors and on-board computers to stop the train automatically when it is too close to another vehicle or object.

History

In the 1820s and 1830s, the first railroads in America were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads helped speed up industrialization and brought more food products to markets in these regions. This made the country more independent and less dependent on imports.

In the late nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing a "Golden Age," during which many new trains that were more efficient were built and passenger travel on train became more popular. The government's efforts to expand the railroad system were a major reason. For instance the government provided homesteaders grants of land to encourage them to move to the West, and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads joined forces to construct the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travel from New York to San Francisco in just six days.

However in the early part of the 20th century, demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other transportation options like cars and airplanes gained popularity, while regulations hindered railroads in their ability to compete economically. A series of bankruptcies and delays in maintenance and service cuts was the next step. Uninformed federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline.

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

Since then, the railway infrastructure of the United States has seen a significant amount of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, to allow for faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There are also efforts to develop more efficient freight rail. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the future. It is the responsibility of FRA to help make sure that the nation's transportation system is as efficient as it can be.