The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

FRA field inspectors use discretion to determine which cases merit the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations of punishment are punished.

Allies and members of SMART-TD 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 and public. It is responsible for developing and enforcing rail safety regulations. It also administers the funding for rail and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also develops and implements a plan to ensure that current rail services, infrastructure and capacity and strategically expands and enhances the national rail network. The department requires all rail companies to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with tools to succeed and stay secure. This includes participation in the confidential close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees that have full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with personal protection equipment.

FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of noncompliance. Those who violate the safety rules for rail can be punished with civil penalties. The safety inspectors of the agency have a broad discretion on whether an individual violation is in line with the statutory description of a civil penalty-worthy act. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also scrutinizes the reports that regional offices submit to determine if they are legal prior to imposing penalties. This discretion is exercised both at the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in situations that warrant them.

To be considered guilty of a civil infringement an employee of a railroad must be aware of the rules and regulations governing their actions. They must also be aware of and ignore these rules. The agency does not believe that an individual who acts upon a directive from a supervisor is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network over which goods and passengers travel within metropolitan areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steelmill isn't considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency manages railway finance, including loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the country's railroad system. This includes ensuring the current rail services and infrastructure and addressing the need for new capacity and strategically expanding the network, and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development.

The agency is responsible for freight transportation, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people to the places they want to go. The agency is focused primarily on improving the passenger's experience, enhancing safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, including those related to the size of crews on trains. This issue has become an issue of contention in recent years, with several states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum crew size requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards.

This rule also requires each railroad that operates a one-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the standard for reviewing an approval request that is a special case from determining if an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety to determining if the operation is safer or less risky than a two-person crew operations.

During the public comment period for this rule, a large number of people expressed support for a two-person crew requirement. A form letter sent by 29 individuals emphasized their concerns that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or 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 fela claims railroad employees accidents and they believe that a larger team could help ensure the safety of both the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails use various technologies to improve efficiency, enhance security, and improve safety. The language used in the rail industry includes many distinct terms and acronyms but some of the more notable innovations include machines-vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers, and drones that are not piloted (commonly known as drones).

Technology isn't just replacing certain jobs -- it's empowering people to do their job more effectively and safely. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are moving closer to reality.

As part of its ongoing effort to advance safe, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars project that will see bridges and tunnels repaired as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations reconstructed or upgraded. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly increase the agency's rail improvement programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central element in this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. It still needs to focus on how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via railways.

The agency could increase its effectiveness by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry, which is focused on research and policy, as well as standard setting, established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping develop standards within the industry.

FRA is likely to be interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy, a standard that will clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency would like to know the amount of risk that the industry sees in fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is considering additional measures to mitigate the risk.

Innovation

Rail companies are embracing technology to increase worker safety, increase efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport reaches its destination intact. Examples of such technological advancement include the use of cameras and sensors to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies offer railroads the ability to send emergency responders to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the risks to people and property.

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

Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security staff in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in case in an emergency. The company is also examining ways to utilize drones. They could be used to check bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lighting on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is another technology that can be used in railways for passengers. It can detect objects or people on tracks and warn drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are especially useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues in the evenings, when traffic is low and there are fewer witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is another important technological breakthrough in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other stakeholders to track a traincar in real-time. These capabilities provide railcar operators and their crews more control and visibility. They can also help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers.