The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for safety regulations for rail and enforcement, rail funding and research on improving rail strategies.

FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the precise and time consuming civil penalty process. This helps ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

Members of SMART-TD and their allies made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to protect the health of employees as well as the public. It creates and enforces rail safety regulations and oversees the funding for rail. It also researches rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also creates plans, implements and maintains a plan for maintaining current rail services and infrastructure. It also works to expand and improve the national rail network. The department expects that all rail employers adhere to strict guidelines, empower their employees and provide them with the tools to ensure their safety and success. This includes an anonymous close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the required personal protective equipment.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of railway safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Anyone who is in violation of the safety rules for rail can be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad discretion to determine whether a violation falls under the definition provided by law of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also reviews all reports that regional offices submit to ensure that they are legal prior to imposing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels ensures that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in those situations that are truly deserving of the impact of a civil penalty.

A rail worker must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern their actions and knowingly disregard those rules to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency does not believe that a person who acts in response to a supervisor's direction has committed a willful offense. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire system that passengers and goods travel within metropolitan and city areas or between them. A plant railroad's trackage in a steel mill is not considered to be part of the general rail system of transportation, even being physically connected to it.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing train regulations that pertain to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency also manages rail financing, including grants and loans for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and with industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically, and coordinating national and regional system planning and development.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation, but also oversees passenger transport. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passengers and connect people with the places they would like to go. The agency is focused on improving the experience for passengers and increasing the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the railway system continues to function efficiently.

Railroads are required to comply with a variety of federal employers’ regulations, which include those relating to the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent years the issue has become a source of controversy. Some states have passed legislation mandating two-person teams on trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum crew size requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This law also requires that each railroad operating a one-person crew notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. 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. Additionally this rule alters the review standard for an approval petition that is based on to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether the operation is safe or safer than a two-crewmember operation.

During the time of public comments for this rule, a number of people expressed their support for a requirement of a two person crew. A form letter sent by 29 individuals emphasized their concerns that a single crew member might not be as quick to respond to issues with trains or grade crossing incidents, or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents and they believe that a larger team will ensure the safety of the train and its cargo.

Technology

Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ a wide array of technologies to enhance efficiency, improve security, improve safety and much more. Rail industry jargon comprises a variety of specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also called drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems, driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drones).

Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It empowers people to perform their jobs more effectively and safer. Passenger railroads are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other developments like autonomous rail cars are moving closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote secure affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in the United States, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar effort will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems, and tracks updated, and stations being rebuilt or replaced. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will substantially increase the agency's rail improvement programs.

The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key part of this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it excelled at engaging, maintaining communications using inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. It still needs to consider how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods by rail.

The agency could increase its effectiveness by identifying and supporting 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 and has created a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards for implementing the technology.

FRA is interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will need to know the degree of risk the industry sees in fully automated operation, and whether the industry is considering any additional safeguards to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are adopting technology to enhance worker safety, increase efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport is delivered intact. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies even offer railroads the ability to dispatch emergency personnel to locations of accidents so they can swiftly mitigate damage and reduce the risk to property and lives.

One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks that shouldn't be, as well as other accidents that result from human errors. This system is a three-part system comprised of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and an enormous backend server that gathers and analyzes data.

Trains for passengers also adopt technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to aid security staff in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in case of an emergency. The company is also exploring other ways to use drones, such as using drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure for example, replacing the lighting on railway towers, which could be hazardous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that is used in passenger railroads. It is able to detect people or objects on tracks and warn drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are particularly useful for fela railroad settlements detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues during the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are less witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is a significant technological breakthrough in the railway industry. It allows railways, shippers and other stakeholders, to track a traincar in real-time. Such capabilities give railcar operators and crews better control and visibility. They can also assist them in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in delivering freight to customers.