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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations It also provides rail funding and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure. FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are punished. Allies and members of SMART-TD made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight is not over. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to safeguard the health and welfare of employees and the public. It formulates and enforces safety regulations for rail, administers rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also develops, implements and maintains a plan for maintaining current rail services and infrastructure. It also works to expand and improve the rail network across the nation. The department expects all rail employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes participating in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees, with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with the necessary personal protective equipment. Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Anyone who is in violation of rail safety laws may be penalized civilly. The agency's safety inspectors are able to decide on the extent to which a particular violation meets the statutory definition of a civil penalty-worthy act. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received from regional offices to determine their legality before determining penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in situations that warrant them. To be guilty of a civil violation, a rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations governing their actions. They also must be aware that they ignore these rules. However the agency does not consider any individual who is acting under a direction from a supervisor to have committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the “general railroad system of transportation” as the whole network that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan and city areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steel mill is not considered to be part of the general transportation system by rail, even being physically connected to it. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency manages rail finance, including grants and loan for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies and the industry to develop strategies to improve the country's railroad system. This includes maintaining current rail services and infrastructure, addressing the need for new capacity and strategically expanding the network and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development. The agency is primarily responsible for freight transport, but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is working to offer more options for passenger travel and connect people with the places they want to travel to. The agency's primary focus is on improving the experience of passengers as well as enhancing the safety of its current fleet, and making sure that the rail network continues operating efficiently. Railroads are required to comply with a range of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of train crews. In recent years the issue has become controversial. fela lawsuit settlements have passed legislation mandating two-person crews in trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards. This rule also requires each railroad that has a single-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to better identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the parameters of a normal two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the standard for reviewing a special approval request from determining whether an operation is “consistent” with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is as secure or safer than two-person crew operations. During the period of public comments for this rule, a number of people voiced their support for a requirement of two persons on the crew. A form letter sent by 29 people outlined their concerns that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents, or assist emergency responders at a highway-rail grade crossing. The commenters pointed out that human factors are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents and they think that a bigger crew could help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports. Technology Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ numerous technologies to improve efficiency, add security, increase safety and more. Rail industry jargon covers a variety of specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also known as drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems, driverless train, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones). Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs — it's empowering individuals to perform their work more effectively and safely. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to becoming a reality. The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States, is focused on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar project that will see tunnels and bridges rebuilt as well as tracks and power systems upgraded and stations rebuilt or upgraded. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will substantially grow the agency's rail improvement programs. The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key component in this effort. The most recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. But it still needs to focus more on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of goods and people via rail. The agency could improve its effectiveness by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technologies. 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, established an Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help create standards within the industry. FRA is interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, a system of standards to clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that could be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also need to know the degree of risk to safety that the industry believes is associated with implementing fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to mitigate that risk. Innovation Rail companies are adopting new technologies to increase worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport reaches its destination in good condition. Examples of such innovations range from the use of cameras and sensors to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo secure during transit. Some of these technologies provide a way for railroads to send emergency response personnel to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to property and lives. Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most important innovations in rail. It can stop train-to-train accidents, instances when trains are in a position they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human error. The system is a three-part process consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and an enormous backend server that gathers and analyzes data. Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to improve security and safety. Amtrak, for example, is testing the use of drones in order to help train security personnel find passengers and other items in the event of an emergency. Amtrak is also investigating other ways to use drones, including deploying them to perform inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure, like replacing the lights on railway towers, which can be dangerous for workers to climb. Other technologies that could be utilized for passenger railroads include smart track technology that can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send a warning to drivers if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These technologies are particularly useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other problems in the evenings, when traffic is low and there are fewer witnesses to an accident. Telematics is a significant technological advancement in the railway industry. It allows shippers, railways and other stakeholders to monitor a traincar in real-time. These capabilities give railcar owners and crews greater control and visibility. They can also aid in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers.