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The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the 10 DOT agencies that deal with intermodal transportation. Its mission is to enable the safe and reliable movement of goods and people.

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 railway in the United States that is controlled by the government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces railway regulations and regulates funds for railroads, Fela Settlements and conducts research to improve railway transportation. The FRA is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that are concerned with intermodal transportation, and its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency oversees all passenger and freight transportation that utilizes the nation's railway network. In addition the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates support from the federal government for rail transportation. Moreover, the agency regulates the ownership and operation of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks, right-of-way, equipment and real property as well as rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

FRA's duties also include establishing through regulation and following an opportunity for comment, a procedure by which anyone can inform the Secretary of Homeland Security any railroad security issues or deficiencies. Additionally, the FRA establishes policies and conducts inspections to assess the compliance of 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 is tasked with the responsibility of making sure the rail transportation system is secure, economical and environmentally sustainable. The agency also requires 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 to that, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees and also protects whistleblowers from being retaliated against by railroad companies. The agency also establishes a procedure by which railroad employees can file complaints about the actions of the company.

The main goal of the agency is to ensure the safe efficient, reliable, and secure transportation of goods and people for a strong America today and into the future. The FRA accomplishes this by regulating railroad safety, managing railroad assistance programs and conducting research that supports improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policies, coordinating and supporting the development of a rail network, and helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were large monopolies with little competition. This meant that railroads often misused their position in the marketplace. This is why Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent abuses by railroad monopolies.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a government agency that establishes rules, oversees funds for rail and researches ways to improve the nation's rail transportation system. It manages the railway infrastructure of the United States and supervises passenger and freight railroads. It is one of ten agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding the current railway systems, ensuring capability of the railroad industry to meet the growing travel and freight demands and providing leadership in regional and national system planning.

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

FRA has several departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department is responsible for programs aimed at improving freight and passenger rail transportation, like the Northeast Corridor Future. This department also is responsible for grants that are made to help railways, and it collaborates with other agencies to plan for the nation's rail requirements.

Another essential duty of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws regarding railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against employees and ensuring that injured railway employees are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical treatment for injured railway employees.

The FRA is the primary regulator of the freight and passenger rail industries, however there are other organizations which manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for example is responsible for 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 a period of public consultation, the agency is also responsible for establishing rules that allow anyone to report any alleged safety issues with rail.

Functions

Railroads transport goods and people between cities in the developed nations, as well as remote villages in less-developed countries. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and final products from these facilities to stores or warehouses. Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a range of essential commodities like oil, grains and coal. In 2020, freight rail transported more than a quarter of the nation's total freight volume [PDFThe PDF file contains.

A federal railroad operates as a business just like other businesses 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 what services they require and how much they should cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest price possible to make money for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation, making sure each department is functioning efficiently.

The government supports railways in a variety ways, from grants to subsidized rates for government-owned transport. Congress also provides funds to support and build new tracks and stations. These subsidies are usually in addition to the revenue the railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts.

In the United States, the government has the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi public for-profit company, with the United States Government as a major stockholder.

A major purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical condition of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on security of rail lines to identify patterns areas that require improvement or attention from the regulatory side and to track trends.

FRA also has other projects to improve the safety and efficiency of rail transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA is working to remove obstacles that might hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety system that utilizes sensors and computers on board to stop a train in the event that it is too close to an vehicle or object.

History

The first railroads in the United States were built in the 1820s and 1830s, mostly in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Railroads helped speed up industrialization and brought more food items to markets in these regions. This helped the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent upon foreign imports, which resulted in a solid economic base.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the railroad industry experienced an "Golden Age," during which many new railway lines that were more efficient were constructed and passenger travel via train became popular. The government's efforts to expand the railroad system were an important aspect. The government, for instance granted homesteaders land grants in order to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to construct the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days.

In the first half century, however the demand for rail passenger services decreased, and other modes of transport like planes and cars became more popular. Meanwhile, stifling regulation hindered railroads' ability to compete. The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcies service cuts, bankruptcy, and delayed maintenance. In addition, misguided railroad regulations from the federal government caused the demise of the industry.

Around the year 1970, the federal government began loosening the regulations governing railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic issues such as 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 infrastructure of the railroads of the United States has seen a lot of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, to allow for faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). Efforts have also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its relationship with all transportation agencies in order to ensure the safety and reliability of railroads. FRA's mission is to ensure that the nation's transport system operates as efficiently as possible.