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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOTs 10 departments that deal with intermodal transportation Its goal is to facilitate the safe and reliable transportation of both people and goods FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track signals train control and track systems as well as operating procedures They also investigate complaints Definition Federal railroads are rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government The Federal Railroad Administration FRA establishes and enforces safety regulations administers 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 top executives are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that is made possible by the rail network of the United States In addition the agency supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates support from the federal government for rail transportation activities Moreover the agency regulates the ownership and operation of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks rightofway equipment real property and rolling stock It also handles the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs FRAs responsibilities also include establishing through regulation and following an opportunity for comments a procedure by which anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues The agency also establishes policies conducts inspections and assesses compliance with its rail laws in six technical disciplines including track signals track and train control as well as motive power and equipment operating procedures hazardous materials and highwayrail grade intersections The agency is tasked with the responsibility to make sure the rail transportation system is secure economical and sustainable The agency also requires that railroads to maintain a safe workplace and provide adequate training to their employees The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is charged fairly for transportation services The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and implements rules to prevent discrimination towards railroad employees The agency also safeguards whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad companies The agency also establishes an procedure through which railroad employees can file complaints regarding the companys actions The agencys main mission is to ensure the safe reliable and efficient movement of goods and people for a stronger America today and in the future The FRA achieves this by overseeing the safety of railroads regulating programs for assistance to railroads conducting research to help improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policies as well as coordinating and assisting with the development of rail networks and helping the private sector manage railroads In the past railroads were essentially monopolies with little competition The railroad industry was able to abuse its dominant position in the market as a result Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission as well as other regulatory agencies to control railroad monopolies abuses Purpose The federal railroad is a government agency that sets regulations manages rail funds and studies ways to improve the nations rail transportation system It is responsible for the railway infrastructure of the United States and supervises passenger and freight railroads It is one of the 10 agencies of the US Department of Transportation It is also tasked with maintaining and expanding the current railway systems ensuring capacity of the rail industry to meet the growing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning Safety is the governments main responsibility in rail transportation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this It has a number of divisions that supervise the countrys freight and passenger rail operations The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest with a staff of around 350 It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines which include track signal and train control motive and equipment operating procedures hazmat and highwayrail grade crossings fela law firm has several departments such as the Office of Railroad Policy and Development It oversees programs that aim to improve passenger and freight rail transportation such as the Northeast Corridor Future This department is responsible for granting grants given to railways and collaborates with other agencies to determine the nations rail requirements The FRA also has a responsibility to enforce federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees This includes preventing railroads from discriminating against employees and ensuring that all injured railway employees receive transportation to the nearest hospital for first aid treatment It also prohibits railroads to delay or deny medical treatment for injured railway workers The FRA is the primary regulator of the freight and passenger rail industry however other agencies manage the economic aspects of rail transportation Surface Transportation Board is responsible for establishing rates and managing the economics of the industry It is the regulatory authority for railroad mergers line sales construction and abandonment After the public consultation period the agency is responsible for establishing regulations that permit anyone to file a complaint about any alleged safety issues with rail Functions Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in the developed world as and villages in countries that are less developed They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing factories and the finished products from these factories to warehouses and stores Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a range of essential commodities like oil grains and coal In 2020 freight rail transported over a quarter of the nations total freight volumes PDFPDF A federal railroad operates like any other business with departments for marketing and operations sales and an executive department The department for marketing and sales collaborates with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they need and how much they will cost The operations department then develops the rail services that meet those requirements at the lowest possible cost to generate revenue for the railroad The executive department supervises the entire operation making sure each department is functioning efficiently The government supports the railways through a variety of ways including grants and subsidized rates for governmentowned traffic Congress also provides funds to support and build new track and stations These subsidies are often in addition to the revenues railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts In the United States the government is the owner of the railway for passengers Amtrak It is a quasi public forprofit corporation which has the United States Government as a major stockholder The primary function of the Federal Railroad Administration FRA is developing 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 collects data on security of rail lines to determine trends and areas that require improvement or attention from the regulatory side and to track trends FRA also participates in other projects that help improve the safety and efficiency of railway transportation in the United States For instance the agency seeks to eliminate obstacles that could delay railroads introduction of positive train control systems PTC PTC is a safety system that makes use of sensors and computers on board to stop the train automatically when it gets too close to a vehicle or object History In the 1820s1830s the first railroads in the United States were constructed mostly in New England and MidAtlantic The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in these areas and also brought more food products to the market This helped the country to become more selfsufficient and less dependent on imports from abroad which in turn helped to foster a strong economic base In the late nineteenth century the railroad industry went through a Golden Age during which many new trains that were more efficient were built and passenger travel on train became increasingly popular This was in large part because of the governments efforts to expand the railroad system For example the government gave homesteaders land grants 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 made it possible to travel from New York to San Francisco in just six days However in the first half of the 20th century the demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other modes of transport like automobiles and planes gained in popularity while stifling regulations choked railroads in their ability to compete economically The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcy service cuts bankruptcy and deferred maintenance The misguided federal rail regulations contributed to the decline In the year 1970 the federal government began to loosen the regulatory restrictions on railroads Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects such as railroad rates and mergers The Federal Railroad Administration was also established which is responsible for establishing rules for safety in rail and is among the 10 agencies in the US Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation Since then a significant amount of investment has been made in the countrys railway infrastructure The Northeast Corridor for example was rebuilt to accommodate more efficient faster and modern high speed ground transportation HSGT trains There have also been efforts to develop more efficient systems for freight rail FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the coming years The role of FRA is to ensure that the nations transportation system is running as efficiently as is possible