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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies FRA inspectors on the ground make use of discretion to decide which cases merit the lengthy and precise civil penalty process This ensures that the violations most deserving of punishment are penalized SMARTTD members and allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to keep two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains The fight is not over Safety The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to safeguard the health and welfare of employees and the public It creates and enforces safety regulations for rail and oversees the funding for rail It also researches strategies for improving rail and technology It also creates and implements a plan to maintain current infrastructure rail services and capacity and strategically expands and enhances the national rail network The department expects all railroad employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations empower their workers and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and secure This includes participating in the confidential closecall reporting system setting up labormanagement occupational health and safety committees with full union participation as well as antiretaliation safeguards and providing employees with personal protective equipment Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of noncompliance Those who violate the safety rules for rail can be punished with civil penalties The agencys safety inspectors have a broad discretion on whether an individual violation is in line with the statutory definition of a criminal penaltyworthy act Additionally the Office of Chief Counsels safety department reviews all reports received by regional offices to determine legality prior to assessing penalties The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the exacting timeconsuming civil penalty process is applied only in those situations that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil penalty Rail employees must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and knowingly disregard those standards to be guilty of a civil penaltyworthy offence However the agency does not consider anyone who acts under a directive from a supervisor to have committed an intentional violation The agency defines general railroad system as the entire system that carries goods and passengers between cities and metropolitan areas A plant railroads trackage in a steel mill is not considered part of the general transportation system that trains even although it is physically connected to it Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations ranging from those related to safety and the movement of hazardous materials The agency manages rail finance which includes loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the nations rail infrastructure This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services responding to the demands for additional capacity and expanding the network strategically as well as coordinating the regional and national systems development and planning The agency is mostly responsible for freight transport but also oversees passenger transport The agency is working to connect people to places theyd like to visit and offer more options for travel The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience as well as improving the safety of the current fleet and making sure that the rail network continues to operate efficiently Railroads are required to comply with a number of federal regulations including those that deal with the size and composition of train crews This is an issue of contention in recent years with a few states passing legislation that requires twoperson crews on trains The final rule codifies the minimum size of crew requirements at an international level and ensures that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards This rule also requires each railroad operating a singleperson train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk This will allow FRA to compare the parameters of each operation with those of a twoperson standard crew operation Additionally this rule will change the criteria for reviewing an approval petition that is based on determining whether an operation is consistent with railroad safety to determining whether the operation would be as safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members During the public comment period for this rule a large number of people expressed support for the requirement of a twoperson crew In a formal letter 29 people voiced their concern that a single crew member will not be in a position to respond with the speed required to respond to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency personnel on the highwayrail level crossing Commenters pointed out that human factors are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents They believe that a bigger crew would ensure the safety of the train and its cargo Technology Freight and passenger rails use various technologies to increase efficiency enhance safety and boost security Rail industry jargon covers various distinct terms and acronyms Some of the most notable include machine vision systems also called drones instrumented railinspection systems driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles also called drones Technology isnt just replacing some jobs its helping people to perform their jobs better and safer Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones apps 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 becoming reality The Federal Railroad Administration as part of its ongoing efforts to promote safe affordable reliable and secure transportation in the United States is focused on modernizing the rail infrastructure This is a multibilliondollar effort that will see tunnels and bridges rebuilt as well as tracks and power systems upgraded and stations reconstructed or upgraded The FRAs rail improvements program will be significantly expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law The Office of Research Development and Technology of the agency is a key element in this initiative Recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging with maintaining communication and utilizing inputs of a wide range of stakeholders But it still needs to concentrate on how its research aids in the departments main strategic goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via rail One area where the agency may be able to improve its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the advancement of automated train systems and technologies The Association of American Railroads AAR is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research and policy as well as standard setting created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help develop standards within the industry FRA will be interested in the creation of an automated rail taxonomy a standard that will clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that could be applicable to both onroad and rail transit vehicles The agency will also want to know the level of risk to safety that the industry believes is associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is considering adding additional security measures to reduce the risk Innovation Railroads are embracing technology to improve worker safety and make business processes more efficient and ensure that the freight they move reaches its destination intact These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation Some of these technologies offer railroads the ability to dispatch emergency personnel to areas of accidents so that they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to people and property Positive Train Control PTC is among the most significant innovations in rail It can keep traintotrain accidents out of the way as well as situations when trains are in a position they shouldnt and other accidents caused by human error The system is comprised of three components onboard locomotive systems which track the train wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a massive server that gathers and analyzes data Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to bolster security and safety For instance Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security personnel in locating passengers and items on board trains in case in an emergency fela lawyers is also looking into different ways to use drones for instance using them to perform inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure for example replacing the lights on railway towers which can be dangerous for workers to climb Other technologies that can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology that can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and issue drivers with a warning if its unsafe for them to proceed These technologies are particularly useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues in the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are less witnesses to an accident Telematics is a significant technological advancement in the railway industry It allows railways shippers and other stakeholders to follow a traincars progress in realtime These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews better control and visibility They can also assist them in improving efficiency prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers