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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for rail safety regulations and enforcement rail funding and research on improving rail strategies FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the timeconsuming and precise civil penalty process This ensures that the violations most deserving of punishment are punished SMARTTD members and allies made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to allow two people in the locomotive cab 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 safety of employees as well as the general public fela claims is responsible for creating and enforcing safety regulations for rail It also manages rail funding and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technological developments It also develops and implements a strategy to ensure that current rail services infrastructure and capacity and strategically expands and improves the national rail network The department requires that all rail companies adhere to strict rules that empower their employees and provide them with tools to ensure their safety and success This includes taking part in an anonymous closecall reporting system setting up labormanagement occupational safety and health committees with full participation from unions and antiretaliation clauses and giving employees the necessary personal protective equipment FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people Civil penalties may be handed out to those who violate the rail safety laws The safety inspectors of the agency have a broad discretion on whether a particular violation meets the statutory definition of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties Additionally the Office of Chief Counsels safety division reviews all reports received by regional offices to determine legality before determining penalties This discretion is exercised both at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in situations that warrant them To be guilty of a civil infringement the employee of a rail company must know the rules and regulations governing the conduct of his or her employees They also must be aware that they disregard these standards The agency does not believe that a person who acts in response to a supervisors direction has committed a willful offence The agency defines the general railroad system of transportation as the entire system over which goods and passengers travel within metropolitan areas and between them The trackage of a plant railroad in a steelmill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system despite the fact that its physically connected Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations including those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials The agency also manages financing for rail which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvements The agency collaborates 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 addressing the need for additional capacity and expanding the network strategically as well as coordinating the regional and national system development and planning The agency is mostly responsible for freight transportation but also manages passenger transportation The agency is working to provide more options for passengers and connect passengers with the places theyd like to travel to The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience and improving the safety of the current fleet and ensuring that the railway system continues to function efficiently Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations including those related to the size of the crews on trains This issue has become controversial in recent years with some states passing legislation that requires twoperson crews on trains This final rule defines federally the minimum size of crew requirements ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards This rule also requires each railroad that has a oneperson train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk This will allow FRA to identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the parameters of a typical twoperson crew operation In addition this rule will change the review standard for an approval petition that is based on 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 for this rule many people backed a twoperson crew requirement In a formal letter 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crewmember will not be in a position to respond in a timely manner to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency personnel on a highwayrail level crossing Commenters pointed out that human factor are responsible for a majority of railroad accidents They believe that a bigger crew would ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo Technology Trains for passenger and freight use a variety of technologies to improve efficiency increase security and improve safety The rail industry lingo includes many distinct terms and acronyms but some of the most notable developments include machine vision systems instrumentsed rail inspection systems driverless trains rolling data centers and drones that are not piloted commonly called drones Technology isnt merely replacing jobs its helping people to perform their jobs more efficiently and with greater security Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and make the system more efficient Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are moving closer to reality As part of its ongoing effort to ensure safe reliable and affordable transportation for the entire nation In its ongoing effort to ensure safe reliable and affordable transportation for the nation the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure This multibilliondollar effort will see tunnels bridges tracks power systems and tracks updated and stations renovated or replaced The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly expand the agencys rail improvements programs The agencys Office of Research Development and Technology is a key piece in this effort Recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging in a continuous dialogue and utilizing the inputs from a variety of stakeholders However it needs to concentrate on how its research aids in the departments main strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via railway The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology The Association of American Railroads the primary freight rail association that focuses on policy research and standard setting has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards for the implementation of the technology The FRA is interested in the groups creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation This could apply to rail transit as well as vehicles on the road The agency will need to know the degree of risk that the industry sees in fully automated operation and if the industry is considering any additional safeguards to minimize that risk Innovation Railroads are adopting technology to improve worker safety make business processes more efficient and ensure that the freight they move reaches its destination safely Examples of this innovation include the use of sensors and cameras to keep track of freight and to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo secure during transit Some of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to minimize the danger and minimize the damage to property and people Positive Train Control PTC is one of the most significant innovations in rail It is designed to prevent traintotrain accidents situations where trains are on track they shouldnt and other accidents caused by human error This system consists of three parts onboard locomotive systems which track the train wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that analyzes and collects data Trains for passengers also adopt technology to increase security and safety Amtrak for instance is experimenting with the use of drones to help train security personnel locate passengers and other items in the event of an emergency Amtrak is also investigating other ways to use drones for instance using drones to inspect bridges and other infrastructure for example replacing the lighting on railway towers which could be hazardous for workers to climb Other technologies that can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology which can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send drivers with a warning if its unsafe for them to proceed These types of technologies can be particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues in the offhours when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people 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 through realtime tracking Traincar crews and operators will benefit from increased accountability and transparency which will help them improve efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and delay in the delivery of freight