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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The federal employers’ Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations, provides rail funding and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

FRA field inspectors use discretion to determine which cases warrant the exact and lengthy civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be allowed to sit in the cabs of freight trains. The fight continues.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to ensure the health of employees as well as the public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also manages the funding for rail and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technologies. It also develops the implementation and maintenance of a plan for maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services. It also works to expand and improve the national rail network. The department requires all rail companies to adhere to strict rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with tools to be successful and safe. This includes participating in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation clauses and giving employees the necessary personal protective gear.

FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of railway safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties are imposed on those who violate the rail safety laws. The agency's safety inspectors have a broad discretion on whether a particular violation meets the statutory description of a criminal penalty-worthy act. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also reviews the reports submitted by regional offices to determine if they are legal prior to imposing penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in cases that warrant their use.

A rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern their actions and knowingly disregard those guidelines to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. However the agency does not consider any individual who acts under a directive by a supervisor as having committed a willful violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network that passengers and goods travel within metropolitan and city areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible to establish regulations for train operations that pertain to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency oversees railway finance, including loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies and with industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services as well as in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity, strategically expanding the network, as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development.

While the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also manages passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people to the places they want and provide more alternatives for travel. The agency's primary focus is on improving the experience of passengers as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, relating to the size of crews on trains. This issue has become controversial in recent years, with a few states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum crew size requirements at a federal level, ensuring that all railroads are held to the same safety standards.

This fela law firm also requires that each railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will allow FRA to better identify the specifics of each operation and compare them to those of a typical two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the review standard of a special approval request from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as secure or less risky than a two-person crew operation.

During the public comment period for this rule, a large number of people backed a two-person crew requirement. A letter written by 29 people outlined 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

Trains for passenger and freight use different technologies to increase efficiency, increase safety, and boost security. The rail industry vernacular includes a variety of specific terms and acronyms, however, some of the most notable innovations include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers and drones that are not piloted (commonly called drones).

Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs -- it's empowering people to perform their jobs more efficiently and with greater security. Passenger railroads are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar project will see tunnels, bridges, tracks and power systems updated, and stations renovated or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be substantially extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key component of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it was successful in engaging, maintaining communication with and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It still needs to consider how its research contributes towards the department's primary objective of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via rail.

The agency could enhance its effectiveness by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry that is focused on research and policy, as well as standard setting created the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help develop standards within the industry.

The FRA is interested in the group’s creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This could apply to both rail transit and vehicles on the road. The agency will need to know the degree of risk the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and if the industry is considering any additional safeguards to reduce the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are embracing technology to increase worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport reaches its destination intact. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies enable railroads to send emergency responders directly to sites of accidents to reduce the risk and damage to people and property.

Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most significant developments in rail. It will prevent train-to-train accidents, situations where trains are on track they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human error. The system is a three-part system comprised of onboard locomotive systems that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and a huge backend server that analyzes and collects data.

Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to increase security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to aid security personnel in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in the event in an emergency. Amtrak is also looking into ways to use drones. They could be used to check bridges and other infrastructure or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that can be utilized in passenger railroads. It can detect people or objects on tracks and alert drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These kinds of technologies can be particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people around to witness an accident.

Another important technological breakthrough in the rail industry is telematics which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to see the status and condition of a traincar through real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews greater accountability and visibility and can help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in delivering freight to customers.