clamcello09
User Name: You need to be a registered (and logged in) user to view username.
Total Articles : 0
The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOTs 10 departments involved in intermodal transportation Its goal is to facilitate the safe and secure movement of goods and people FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track as well as train control and signal systems as well as operating procedures They also investigate complaints Definition Federal railroads are the rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government The Federal Railroad Administration FRA is responsible for the creation and enforcement of railway safety regulations manages railroad funding and researches ways to improve rail transportation systems The FRA is part of the US Department of Transportations intermodal transportation division and its chief officers are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator The agency is responsible for all passenger and freight transport that is made possible by the rail network of the United States In addition the agency also supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates the governments support for rail transportation activities The agency also regulates ownership and operation of intermodal facilities like tracks rights of way equipment real estate and rolling stock It also oversees federal rail transportation programs FRAs responsibilities also include establishing through regulation and after an opportunity to comment the procedure through which anyone can inform the Secretary of Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues In addition the agency sets up policies and conducts inspections to assess compliance with its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines tracks signal and train control motive power and machinery operating practices hazmat and highwayrail grade crossings The agency is responsible of ensuring that the railway transportation system operates in a safe economic and environmentally friendly manner The agency also requires that railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide adequate training for their employees Additionally the agency establishes and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public gets an equitable price for their transportation services The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination towards railroad employees It also protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies The agency also has an avenue for railroad employees to submit complaints regarding the conduct of their company The agencys main mission is to ensure safe reliable and efficient movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America today and in the future The FRA accomplishes this by controlling safety of railroads coordinating programs for assistance to railroads and conducting research that supports improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policies coordinating and supporting the development of rail networks as well as helping the private sector manage railroads In the past railroads dominated the market with no competition The railroad industry was able to abuse its dominant position in the market as a result Therefore Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent the abuses of railroad monopolies Purpose The federal railroad is a federal agency that establishes regulations manages funds for rail and researches ways to improve the nations rail transport system It manages the railroad infrastructure of the United States and manages passenger and freight railroads It is one of 10 agencies of the US Department of Transportation It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding current railroad infrastructure Security is the primary responsibility when it comes to rail transportation The Federal Railroad Administration FRA is responsible for this and it has several divisions that manage the countrys passenger and freight railroad operations The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of these with around 350 inspectors It is responsible for conducting safety inspections in six technical disciplines including track signal and train control as well as motive and equipment operating procedures hazmat and highwayrail grade crosses FRA has several departments such as the Office of Railroad Policy and Development This department is responsible for programs aimed at enhancing passenger and freight railway transport including the Northeast Corridor Future This department is responsible for the grants given to railways and collaborates with other agencies to plan the nations rail requirements The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws that pertain to railroads and workers This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against employees and ensuring that injured railway employees are taken to the nearest hospital for treatment Railroads are also prohibited from delay or deny medical treatment for injured railway workers The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries but there are other organizations that oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation Surface Transportation Board is responsible for establishing rates and managing economics in the industry It is the regulatory authority for railroad mergers linesales construction and abandonment Other responsibilities include the establishment of rules after opportunity for public input that allows anyone to complain about alleged safety violations to the agency Functions Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in developed countries as and villages in countries that are less developed They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories and the finished products from those facilities to stores and warehouses Railroads are a critical form of transportation for many essential commodities including oil coal and grains In 2020 freight rail transported over a quarter of the nations total freight volume PDFPDF The federal railroad is run like any other business It has departments for marketing and operations sales and an executive department The department of marketing and sales works with potential and existing customers as well as clients to determine what services they need and what they need to cost The operations department then creates rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest cost possible to make money for railroads The executive department supervises the entire operation making sure every department is running smoothly The government provides support to railways through a variety of means that include grants and subsidized rates for governmentowned traffic Congress also provides money to help build and maintain stations and tracks These subsidy funds are often added to the revenue that railroads receive through ticket sales and freight contracts In the United States the government owns the railway for passengers Amtrak It is a quasipublic forprofit company with a huge stockholder which is the United States government A major purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration FRA is establishing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains as well as the health and safety of railroad employees FRA also gathers and analyzes information on rail safety to identify trends and areas that require improvement or more regulatory attention FRA also works on other projects that help improve the safety and economy of rail transportation in the United States The agency for example aims to reduce the barriers that could delay railroads in adopting positive train control PTC PTC is a safety system that makes use of sensors and onboard computers to automatically stop the train when it gets too close to a vehicle or object History The first railroads in the United States were constructed in the 1820s and 1830s largely in New England and the MidAtlantic states The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in those areas and also brought more food items to the market This allowed the country to become more independent and less dependent on foreign imports which helped to foster a strong economic base In the 19th centurys final years the railroad industry experienced the benefits of a Golden Age during which new more efficient raillines were constructed and passenger travel became popular This was in large part because of the governments efforts to expand the railroad system For example the government gave homesteaders grants of land to encourage them to settle in the West and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads worked together to complete the first transcontinental railroad which enabled travel from New York to San Francisco in six days However in the first half of the 20th century demand for passenger railroad services decreased and other modes of transportation such as cars and airplanes gained popularity while the stifling of regulations hindered railroads ability to compete economically A series of bankruptcies and service cuts and deferred maintenance was the next step In addition misguided federal railway regulations led to the decline of the industry Around the year 1970 the federal government began to ease the regulatory burdens on railroads Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic matters such as railroad rates and mergers The Federal Railroad Administration which oversees passenger and freight transportation and sets rail safety standards was also created Since then the railway infrastructure of the United States has seen a significant amount of investment The Northeast Corridor for example has been renovated to accommodate faster more modern highspeed ground transportation HSGT trains The effort has also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems In the future FRA hopes to continue its collaboration with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe railroads fela lawyers is to ensure that the nations transport system is running as efficiently as it can