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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for safety regulations for rail and enforcement, rail funding, and research on improving rail strategies. FRA field inspectors employ discretion to decide which cases warrant the exact and time consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are penalized. SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed in the cabs of freight locomotives. trains. The fight continues. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to ensure the health of employees and public. It is responsible for creating and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also administers the funding for rail and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technological developments. It also creates, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain current rail services and infrastructure. fela federal employers liability act develops and improves the national rail network. The department expects that all rail companies adhere to strict regulations, empower their employees and provide them with tools to be safe and successful. This includes participating in a confidential close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation clauses and providing employees with the required personal protective equipment. FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Civil penalties can be imposed on those who violate railroad safety laws. Safety inspectors at the agency have wide decision-making power to determine if an act is within the statutory definition of an act punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also examines the reports submitted by regional offices to ensure that they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at both the field and regional levels ensures that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in cases which truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty. A rail employee must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions, and not knowingly violate those guidelines to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. The agency doesn't consider that an individual who acts in response to a supervisor's direction has committed a willful offence. The agency defines “general railroad system” as the whole network that carries goods and passengers between cities and metropolitan areas. A plant railroad's trackage in the steel mill isn't considered part of the general rail system of transportation even although it is physically connected to it. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible to establish regulations for train operations, such as those relating to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency is responsible for managing rail finance, which includes grants and loan to improve service and infrastructure. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the rail system of the United States. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services and making sure that there is enough capacity and strategically expanding the network as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development. Although the majority of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also oversees passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people with the places they'd like to visit and offer more alternatives for travel. The agency's primary focus is on improving the experience of passengers and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues operating efficiently. Railroads must adhere to a number of federal regulations, relating to the size of crews on trains. In recent years the issue has become controversial. Certain states have passed legislation mandating two-person crews on trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum size crew requirements, making sure that all railroads follow the same safety standards. This rule also requires each railroad that operates a single-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit an assessment of risk. This will allow FRA to better identify the specifics of each operation and compare them with those of a typical two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule will change the standard of review for an approval petition that is based on determining whether the operation is “consistent with railroad safety” to determining if approving the operation would be as safer or more secure than an operation with two crew members. During the public comment period on this rule, many people expressed support for a two-person crew requirement. A letter written by 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member might not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents, or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing. The commenters noted that human factors account for more than half all railroad accidents, and they believe that a larger crew will ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports. Technology Freight and passenger railroads employ various technologies to improve efficiency, improve security, improve safety and more. The rail industry vernacular contains a myriad of unique terms and acronyms, but some of the most notable developments include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers, and drones that are not piloted (commonly known as drones). Technology isn't just about replacing certain jobs. It helps people perform their jobs more effectively and more safely. 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 vehicles, are inching closer to becoming reality. The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to promote secure, reliable, and affordable transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar effort will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems, and tracks updated and stations being rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be substantially increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key part of 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. It still needs to focus on how its research contributes towards the department's primary objective of ensuring the safety of people and goods by rail. One area where the agency could be able to improve its effectiveness is by identifying and assisting the development of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help develop standards within the industry. FRA will be interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that would be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also be looking to know the level of safety risk that the industry sees with implementing fully automated operation and whether or not the industry is considering adding additional protections to minimize the risk. Innovation Railroads are embracing technology to boost worker safety, make business processes more efficient and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination intact. Examples of this technological advancement range from the use of sensors and cameras to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies even provide a way for railroads to dispatch emergency personnel to areas of accidents so that they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to property and lives. Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most significant innovations in rail. It can keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations when trains are in a position they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human errors. This system is made up of three parts of onboard locomotive systems that track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that collects and analyses data. Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to bolster security and safety. Amtrak for instance, is testing the use of drones to help train security staff locate passengers and other items in the event of an emergency. Amtrak is also looking into ways to use drones. They could be used to check bridges and other infrastructure or to replace the lights on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb. Smart track technology is another technology that can be utilized in passenger railroads. It can detect objects or people on tracks and warn motorists that it is not safe to continue. These technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized or other problems in the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are less witnesses to an accident. Telematics is another important technological advance in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other stakeholders to track a traincar in real-time. These capabilities give railcar owners and crews greater accountability and transparency and help them improve efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers.