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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 rail improvement strategies FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide on which cases merit the precise and lengthy civil penalty process This helps 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 cabs of freight trains The fight isnt over Safety The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to ensure the health and welfare of employees as well as the general public It develops and enforces rail safety regulations as well as manages funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technologies It also develops plans implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current infrastructure and services for rail It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation The department requires all rail employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations empower their workers and provide them with tools to succeed and stay safe 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 the necessary personal protective equipment Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations They perform routine inspections on equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints Those who violate the safety rules for rail can be punished with civil penalties Safety inspectors at the agency have wide decisionmaking power to determine if violations fall within the definition provided by law of an offense that is punishable by civil penalties Additionally the Office of Chief Counsels safety department examines all reports submitted by regional offices for legality before determining penalties The exercise of this discretion both at the field and regional levels helps ensure that the exacting timeconsuming civil penalty process is used only in those situations which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil penalty To be convicted of a civil violation a rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions They must also knowingly not adhere to these rules However the agency does not take any person who acts under a directive from a supervisor as having committed an intentional violation The agency defines the general railroad system of transportation as the whole network that passengers and goods travel within cities and metropolitan areas or between them The trackage of a plant railroad within the steel mill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system even though it is physically connected Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains such as those relating to safety and the transportation of dangerous substances The agency also manages rail financing which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the rail system of the United States This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services responding to the demands for capacity expansion expanding the network strategically and coordinating the regional and national system development and planning The agency is primarily responsible for freight transport but also manages passenger transportation The agency aims to connect people with the places they want and provide more choices for travel The agencys focus is on improving the passengers experience 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 variety of federal regulations which include those that deal with the size and composition of the train crews This issue has become controversial in recent years with some states passing legislation to require twoperson crews on trains This final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at a federal level ensuring that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards This rule also requires each railroad that has a singleperson train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk This will enable FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to the parameters of a standard twoperson crew operation This rule also alters the criteria for reviewing a special approval request to determine if an operation is consistent with railroad safety to determining if the operation is as secure or less risky than a twoperson crew operation During the public comment period on this rule a large number of people backed the requirement of a twoperson crew In a letter to the editor 29 people voiced their concerns that a single member of the crew will not be in a position to respond as quickly to train accidents or malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on a highwayrail level crossing Commenters noted that human factor are responsible for a majority of railroad accidents They believe that a larger crew would ensure the safety of the train and its cargo Technology Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ numerous technologies to improve efficiency improve security increase safety and much more Rail industry jargon covers a variety of unique terms and acronyms Some of the most wellknown include machine vision systems also known as drones instruments for railinspection systems driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicle also called drones Technology isnt just replacing certain jobs its helping people to perform their jobs better and safer Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and make the system more efficient Other developments like autonomous rail vehicles are moving closer to reality The Federal Railroad Administration as part of its ongoing efforts to promote safe reliable affordable and costeffective transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure This multibillion dollar project will see bridges tunnels tracks power systems and tracks upgraded and stations renovated or replaced The FRAs rail improvements program will be substantially increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law The Office of Research Development and Technology of the agency is an essential component in this effort The most recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging maintaining communication and using inputs from a range of stakeholders fela settlements must continue to be aware of how its research contributes towards the departments primary objective of ensuring safe movement of people and goods by railways One area where the agency might be able to improve its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the advancement of automated train technology and systems The Association of American Railroads AAR the primary industry association for the freight rail industry which focuses on research and policy as well as standard setting created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help develop standards within the industry The FRA is interested in the development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles a system that defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation This would apply to both rail transit and onroad vehicles The agency will also be looking to know the level of safety risk that the industry sees when implementing a fully automated system and whether the industry is considering adding additional safeguards to mitigate that risk Innovation Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety and improve business processes efficient and help ensure that the freight that they transport arrives at its destination in good condition These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to new railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transportation Certain of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency response personnel to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the risks to property and people Positive Train Control PTC is one of the most important innovations in rail It will prevent traintotrain accidents situations where trains are on track they shouldnt and other accidents caused by human error The system is a threepart system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge backend server that collects and analyzes data Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to enhance safety and security Amtrak is one example It is experimenting with the use of drones in order to help train security personnel locate passengers and items in an emergency The company is also exploring ways to make use of drones They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructure or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are hazardous for workers to climb Smart track technology is another technology that can be used in passenger railroads It can detect objects or people on tracks and warn motorists that it is not safe to continue These types of technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized and other issues during times when traffic volumes are lowest and there are fewer people around to witness an accident Another important technological breakthrough in the rail industry is telematics which enables railroads shippers and other stakeholders to monitor the status and condition of a traincar via realtime tracking Such capabilities give railcar operators and their crews more accountability and visibility and can help them improve efficiency avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in the delivery of freight to customers