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The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies involved in intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and reliable movement of goods and people.

FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad tracks, signals and train control systems as well as 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 government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) establishes and enforces safety rules, oversees railroad funding, and researches ways to improve the efficiency of rail transportation systems. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division and its top executives are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all passenger and freight transport that is made possible by the railway system of the United States. In addition the agency supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates the government's support for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates ownership and operation of intermodal facilities, like tracks, rights of way equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also manages federal rail transportation programs.

FRA's duties also include establishing through regulation and following an opportunity for comments, a procedure by which anyone can inform the Secretary of Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues. Additionally, the FRA establishes policies and conducts inspections in order to evaluate the compliance with its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines that include track, signal and train control, motive power and machinery operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency has the responsibility of making sure the railroad transportation system is safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly. This is why the agency requires railroads to maintain the safety of their workers and provide the appropriate training to their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is charged fairly for transportation services.

Additionally, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad workers, as well as protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad carriers. The agency also has a procedure by which railroad employees can file complaints about the actions of the company.

The primary goal of the agency is to ensure the safe, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people for a strong America both now and in the future. The FRA achieves this by controlling safety of railroads, coordinating programs for assistance to railroads and conducting research that supports the improvement of safety for railroads and national rail transportation policies and coordination, as well as supporting rail networking development and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market, with very little competition. This meant that railroads often misused their position in the marketplace. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as other regulatory agencies, to limit railroad monopolies' abuses.

Purpose

Federal railroads are government agencies that set rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transportation in the United America. It oversees both freight and passenger railroads, and also manages the nation's railway infrastructure. It is one of 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding existing rail systems, as well as ensuring the ability of the rail industry to meet increasing travel and freight demands and providing leadership in regional and national system planning.

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

FRA has other departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs that aim to improve passenger and freight rail transport, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department also is responsible for the grants that are given to railways and works with other agencies in planning for the nation's rail needs.

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

The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries, but there are other organizations which manage the economic aspects of rail transport. The Surface Transportation Board, for example, is in charge of setting rates and managing the economics of the industry. It has regulatory authority over mergers in the railroad industry and line sales construction, and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of regulations following an opportunity for public input, by which anyone may complain about alleged safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as well as villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and finished goods from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, such as oil, coal and grains. In 2020, freight rail moved over a quarter of the nation's total freight volumes [PDF].

The federal railroad is managed like any other business. It has departments for marketing, sale, operations, and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales collaborates with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they require and what those services should cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these needs at the lowest price possible to make money for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation, ensuring that every department is operating efficiently.

The government supports railways in various ways, from grants to subsidized rates for government-owned transport. Congress also provides funds to support and build new stations and tracks. These subsidy funds are often added to the revenues that railroads receive through tickets and freight contracts.

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

The primary role of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains and the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on security of rail lines to identify patterns and areas that require improvement or attention from regulators and to identify trends.

In addition to these fundamental duties, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the economy and security of railway transportation in the United States. The agency, for example, aims to reduce the obstacles that can hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a security technology that makes use of sensors and computers on board to stop a train automatically when it is too close to an vehicle or object.

History

In the 1820s-1830s, the first railroads in America were built, primarily in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads greatly accelerated industrialization in those areas and also brought more food products to the market. This development allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports from abroad, which in turn contributed to a stronger economic base.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing a "Golden Age," during which many new trains that were more efficient were built, and passenger travel by train became popular. The government's efforts to expand the railroad system were an important reason. The government, Fela Accident Attorney for instance granted homesteaders land grants in order to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to build the first transcontinental railroad which allowed passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.

In the first half century, however, the demand for passenger rail services declined, and other modes of transport like planes and cars increased in popularity. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation stifled railroads' economic ability to compete. A string of bankruptcies, service cuts and deferred maintenance were the result. Misguided federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline.

Around 1970 the federal government started to loosen the regulatory burdens on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic matters such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established, which is responsible for establishing standards for rail safety and is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation.

Since then, a great amount of money has been made in the country's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to accommodate 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 safe and reliable rails in the future. It is the agency's job to help make sure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as it can.