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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail regulations and enforcement rail funding and research on improving rail strategies FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to decide which cases warrant the exact and lengthy civil penalty process This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are punished SMARTTD along with its allies made history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be allowed to sit in the locomotive cabs of freight trains The fight continues Safety The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to ensure the health of employees and public It is responsible for developing and enforcing rail safety regulations It also administers rail funding and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technology It also creates plans implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of current rail services and infrastructure It also expands and improves strategically the national rail network The department requires that all rail companies adhere to strict guidelines and empower their employees and provide them with tools to be secure and productive This includes taking part in the confidential close call reporting system establishing occupational health and safety committees that have full participation from unions and antiretaliation safeguards and providing employees with the necessary personal safety equipment Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations They conduct routine inspections on equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people Civil penalties may be handed out to those who violate railroad safety laws Safety inspectors from the agency have wide discretion to determine if a violation falls under the legal definition of an offense that is punishable by civil penalties In addition the Office of Chief Counsels safety department reviews all reports received by regional offices to determine legality prior to assessing penalties The exercise of this discretion at both the regional and field levels ensures that the timeconsuming costly civil penalty process is utilized only in those situations that truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty To be considered guilty of a civil infringement the employee of a rail company must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern their actions They must also knowingly ignore these rules The agency does not believe an individual who acted in response to a supervisors direction has committed a willful offence The agency defines general railroad system as the entire network that carries goods and passengers between metropolitan areas and cities The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill isnt considered to be part of the overall rail system of transportation even although it is physically connected to it Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains such as those relating to safety and the transportation of hazardous substances The agency also manages financing for rail including grants and loans for infrastructure and service improvements The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to devise strategies to improve the nations railway system This work includes maintaining current rail services and infrastructure as well as making sure that there is enough capacity strategically expanding the network as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation but also oversees passenger transport The agency is working to offer more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they want to go The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience enhancing the safety of the existing fleet and making sure that the rail network is operating efficiently Railroads are required to abide with a variety of federal regulations which include those that deal with the size and composition of train crews This is a controversial one in recent years with a few states passing legislation that requires twoperson crews on trains The final rule codifies the minimum size of crew requirements at a federal level ensuring that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards This rule also requires that every railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit a risk analysis This will allow FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation with the standard twoperson crew operation In addition this rule will change the review standard for a special approval petition from determining whether the operation is consistent with railroad safety to determining whether approving the operation would be as safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members During the public comment period on this rule a large number of people supported the requirement for a twoperson crew A letter written by 29 people outlined their concerns that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to trainrelated malfunctions or crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highwayrail grade crossing The commenters noted that human factors account for more than half of all railroad accidents and they believe that a larger team will ensure the safety of both the train and the cargo it transports Technology Railroads for passenger and freight use a wide array of technologies to improve efficiency increase security improve safety and more Rail industry jargon covers a variety of unique terms and acronyms Some of the most wellknown include machine vision systems also called drones and railinspection systems that are instrumented driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles also known as drones Technology doesnt just replace some jobs It allows people to perform their jobs more effectively and more safely Passenger railroads are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and make the system more efficient Other innovations such as autonomous rail vehicles are inching closer to becoming a reality As part of its ongoing efforts to ensure safe reliable and affordable transportation for the nation The Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure This multibillion dollar project will see bridges tunnels tracks and power systems upgraded and stations being rebuilt or replaced The FRAs rail improvements program will be significantly extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law The agencys Office of Research Development and Technology is a key piece in this effort Recent National Academies review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging with maintaining communication and utilizing inputs from a variety of stakeholders But it must focus more on how its research aids in the departments main objective of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via railway One area where the agency may be able improve its effectiveness is by identifying and assisting the advancement of automated train technology and systems The Association of American Railroads AAR is the main industry association for the freight rail industry which focuses on research policy and standard setting and has established an Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help create standards within the industry The FRA is interested in the groups development of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles a system that defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation This would apply to rail transit as well as vehicles on the road The agency will need to know the amount of risk the industry perceives with fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering any additional measures to mitigate the risk Innovation Rail companies are adopting technology to increase worker safety improve efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport arrives at its destination in good condition These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation Some of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency responders directly to sites of accidents to minimize danger and minimize the damage to property and people railroad injury fela lawyer PTC is among the most significant innovations in rail It can keep traintotrain accidents out of the way as well as situations where trains are on track they shouldnt be and other accidents caused by human error It is a threepart process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that connect with the locomotive and an enormous backend server that analyzes and collects data Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to improve security and safety For instance Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security staff in locating passengers and items on board trains in the event of an emergency The company is also looking into different ways to use drones for instance using drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure for example replacing the lights on railway towers which can be hazardous for workers to climb Smart track technology is another technology that can be utilized in railways that transport passengers It can detect objects or people on tracks and warn motorists that it is not safe to continue These technologies are particularly effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other problems in the evenings when traffic is low and there are fewer witnesses to an accident Telematics is yet another significant technological breakthrough in the railway industry It allows shippers railways and other stakeholders to follow a traincars progress in realtime These capabilities provide railcar operators and their crews more accountability and transparency and assist them in improving efficiency prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers