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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 studies strategies for improving rail safety FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the precise and time consuming civil penalty process This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations of punishment are penalized Members of SMARTTD and their allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to allow two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains The fight continues Safety The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to protect the health of its employees and public It is responsible for developing and enforcing safety regulations for rail It also administers rail funding and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technological developments It also develops plans implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of current rail services and infrastructure It also works to expand and improve the rail network across the nation The department expects that all rail companies adhere to strict guidelines and empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be safe and successful This includes taking part in the confidential closecall reporting system setting up labormanagement occupational health and safety committees that have full participation from unions and antiretaliation safeguards and providing employees with personal protective equipment FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety laws and regulations They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of noncompliance Anyone who violates the safety rules for rail can be penalized civilly Safety inspectors at the agency have a wide decisionmaking power to determine if violations fall within the definition provided by law of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties The Office of Chief Counsels safety division also examines all reports that regional offices submit to ensure that they are legal before assessing penalties The exercise of this discretion at both the field and regional levels helps ensure that the lengthy timeconsuming civil penalty process is utilized only in cases that truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty To be convicted of a civil violation an employee of a railroad must know the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions They must also knowingly not adhere to these rules However the agency does not consider any individual who is acting under a direction from a supervisor to have committed a willful 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 within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system despite the fact that its physically connected Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations ranging from those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials The agency is responsible for managing railway finance including grants and loan for infrastructure and service improvement The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies to improve the nations rail infrastructure This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services addressing the need for additional capacity and expanding the network strategically and coordinating regional and national systems planning and development The agency is mostly responsible for freight transport but also manages passenger transportation The agency is working to offer more options for passengers and connect passengers with the places they would like to travel to The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience increasing the safety of the current fleet and making sure that the rail network continues to operate efficiently Railroads must comply with a variety of federal regulations including the ones pertaining to the size and composition of crews on trains In recent years this issue has become controversial Certain states have passed legislation mandating twoperson teams on trains The final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at the federal level making sure that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards This rule also requires each railroad that operates a oneperson train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment This will allow FRA to better understand the specifics of each operation and compare them to those of a standard twoperson crew operation This rule also changes the review standard of an approval request that is a special case from determining if an operation is consistent with railroad safety to determining if the operation is as secure or more secure than a twoperson crew operations During the public comment period on this rule many people expressed support for a twoperson crew requirement A form letter sent by 29 individuals emphasized their concerns that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to issues with trains or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highwayrail grade crossing Commenters emphasized that human factor are responsible for more than half of all railroad accidents They believe that a larger crew will ensure the security of the train and its cargo Technology Trains for passenger and freight use various technologies to increase efficiency improve safety and boost security The rail industry vernacular includes a variety of unique terms and acronyms but some of the more notable innovations include machinesvision systems instrumented rail inspection systems driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles commonly known as drones Technology isnt just replacing certain jobs its empowering individuals to perform their work more effectively and safely Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards to boost passengership and boost the efficiency of their system Other innovations such as autonomous rail vehicles are inching closer to reality The Federal Railroad Administration as part of its ongoing efforts to promote safe affordable reliable and secure transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure This is a multibillion dollars initiative that will see tunnels and bridges restored tracks power systems and tracks upgraded and stations 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 central component of this initiative The National Academies recent review of the office revealed that it excelled in keeping in touch with and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders It is still required to be aware of how its research contributes to the departments main goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via rail The agency could increase its effectiveness by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology The Association of American Railroads AAR is the principal 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 in order 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 could apply to rail transit as well as onroad vehicles The agency will need to know the amount of risk that the industry perceives with fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering any additional safeguards to minimize that risk Innovation Railroads are embracing technology to improve worker safety and make business processes more efficient and help ensure that the freight that they transport arrives at its destination intact These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transit Certain of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel to the scene of an accident so they can swiftly mitigate damage and reduce the risk to property and people Positive Train Control PTC is one of the most important innovations in rail It can prevent traintotrain accidents situations where trains are on track they shouldnt and other accidents caused by human error The system 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 passenger security personnel in locating passengers and items on board trains in the event in the event of an emergency The company is also looking into different ways to use drones for instance using drones to inspect bridges and other infrastructure like replacing the lights on railway towers which could be hazardous for workers to climb Smart track technology is another technology that can be utilized in passenger railroads It is able to detect people or objects on tracks and warn drivers if it is unsafe to continue These kinds of technology are especially valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during times when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident Telematics is a significant technological advance in the rail industry It allows shippers railways and other stakeholders to track a traincar in realtime fela accident attorney and operators can benefit from greater accountability and visibility which will allow them to increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight