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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies. FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to determine which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that those violations most deserving of punishment are punished. Members of SMART-TD and their allies have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight is not over. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to ensure the health of employees and public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also oversees rail funding and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technology. It also develops plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current rail infrastructure and services. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department requires all railroad employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with tools to be successful and secure. This includes participation in the confidential close call reporting system, setting up occupational health and safety committees that have full participation from unions and protection against retaliation and providing employees with the necessary personal protection equipment. FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections on equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties can be applied to those who break rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad decision-making power to determine if violations fall within the definition provided by law of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also scrutinizes all reports that regional offices submit to determine if they are legal prior to imposing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is utilized only in situations which truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty. To be convicted of fela railroad settlements of a railroad must know the rules and regulations that govern their actions. They must also knowingly not adhere to these rules. The agency doesn't consider that a person who acts upon a directive from a supervisor has committed a willful offence. The agency defines “general railroad system” as the entire system that carries goods and passengers within and between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad at the steel mill isn't considered to be part of the overall transportation system that trains, even though it is physically connected to it. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains that pertain to safety and the transportation of hazardous substances. The agency also oversees rail financing, including grants and loans for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency works with other DOT agencies and the industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for capacity expansion and expanding the network strategically as well as coordinating the regional and national system's development and planning. The agency is primarily responsible for freight transport, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is working to connect people with the destinations they desire and offer more alternatives for travel. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently. Railroads must comply with a number of federal regulations, including the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. In recent years this issue has become controversial. Some states have passed legislation mandating two-person teams on trains. This final rule outlines the minimum crew size requirements at a federal level, ensuring that all railroads are held to the same safety standards. This rule also requires each railroad that has a single-person train crew to notify FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the standard for reviewing an application for special approval from determining whether an operation is “consistent” with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as secure or more secure than a two-person crew operation. During the time of public comments for this rule, a number of people voted for a requirement for two people on the crew. In a formal letter 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crewmember will not be capable of responding as quickly to train accidents or malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail level crossing. The commenters pointed out that human factors are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents and believe that a larger team could help ensure the safety of both the train and the cargo it transports. Technology Trains for passenger and freight use a variety of technologies to increase efficiency, improve security, and increase safety. The rail industry vernacular contains a myriad of distinct terms and acronyms but some of the more notable innovations include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones). Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It allows people to perform their jobs more effectively and safer. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost passengership and boost the efficiency of their system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are moving closer to becoming reality. The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion-dollar effort that will see bridges and tunnels repaired as well as tracks and power systems upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly expand the agency's rail improvements programs. The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central piece in this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled at keeping in touch using inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. But it still needs to be more focused on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of goods and people via railway. The agency could increase its effectiveness by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail industry organization that focuses on policy, research and standard-setting, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards for implementing the technology. FRA will be interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that could be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will want to know the level of risk the industry perceives with fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is considering any additional safeguards to minimize that risk. Innovation Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety, make business processes more efficient and help ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination safely. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to new railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel directly to the scene of an accident to minimize risk and minimize damage to people and property. One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be and other accidents that result from human errors. This system consists of three components: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive; and a massive server that collects and analyses data. Trains for passengers also adopt technology to increase security and safety. Amtrak, for example, is experimenting with drones to assist security personnel on trains find passengers and other items in the event of 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. Other technologies that could be utilized for passenger railroads include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and issue an alert to drivers when it's unsafe to proceed. These technologies are especially useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized or other issues in the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are fewer witnesses to an accident. Telematics is yet another significant technological advancement in the railway industry. It allows shippers, railways and other stakeholders, to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. Such capabilities give railcar operators and their crews more accountability and transparency and aid in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers.