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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces rail safety regulations, provides rail funding and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure. FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the time-consuming and precise civil penalty procedure. This helps ensure that the most serious violations are punished. Members of SMART-TD and their allies made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to keep two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight is not over. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to safeguard the health and safety of its employees and the general public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also oversees the funding for rail and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technological developments. It also creates and implements a plan to ensure that current rail services, infrastructure and capacity and strategically expands and enhances the national rail network. The department demands that all rail companies adhere to strict guidelines that empower their employees and provide them with the tools to be safe and successful. This includes the confidential close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and giving employees the necessary personal protective equipment. fela attorneys of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Those who violate the safety rules for rail can be penalized civilly. Safety inspectors at the agency have a wide discretion to determine if a violation falls under the statutory definition of an act punishable by civil penalties. In addition the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received by regional offices to determine legal sufficiency before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the lengthy, time-consuming civil penalty process is applied only in situations which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil penalty. To be guilty of a civil infringement, a rail employee must know the rules and regulations governing their actions. They also must be aware that they ignore these rules. The agency does not 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 entire system that carries goods and passengers between cities and metropolitan areas. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it is physically connected. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency is responsible for managing railway finance, including loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to develop strategies to improve the rail system of the United States. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services as well as addressing the need for new capacity, strategically expanding the network as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development. While most of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also manages the transportation of passengers. The agency aims to connect people to the places they want and provide more alternatives for travel. The agency's focus is on improving the passenger's experience and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently. Railroads are required to comply with a range of federal regulations, including the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. In recent times the issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews in trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum size of crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards. This law also requires that each railroad operating a one-person crew notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to identify the specifics of each operation and compare them with those of a typical two-person crew operation. Additionally, this rule changes the review standard for a special approval petition from determining whether the operation is “consistent with railroad safety” to determining whether the operation is safe or safer than an operation with two crew members. During the public comment period on this rule, many people backed a two-person crew requirement. In a formal letter, 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crew member will not be capable of responding in a timely manner to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on an elevated highway crossing. Commenters noted that human factors are the reason for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew will ensure the security of the train and its cargo. Technology Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ a wide array of technologies to increase efficiency, improve security, improve safety and much more. Rail industry jargon comprises a variety of specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems, driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drones). Technology isn't just about replacing certain jobs. It allows people to do their jobs better and with greater security. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to becoming a reality. As part of its ongoing effort to ensure safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the 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 multi-billion dollar project will see tunnels, bridges, tracks and power systems updated and stations rebuilt or replace. The FRA's rail improvement program will be substantially expanded by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key piece in this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office concluded that it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. But it must be more focused on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of goods and people via railway. One area where the agency could be able to increase its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the development of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads, the freight rail industry's primary association that focuses on research, policy and standardization, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards to implement the technology. The FRA is interested in the group's development of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could be applicable to rail transit as well as on-road vehicles. The agency will also want to know the degree of safety risk that the industry believes is associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether or not the industry is considering additional protections to minimize the risk. Innovation Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety and make business processes more efficient, and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination intact. Examples of such innovation include the use of sensors and cameras to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo secure during transit. Some of these technologies even provide a way for railroads to send emergency response personnel to areas of accidents so that they can swiftly mitigate risks to property and people. One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks they shouldn't be, as well as other accidents resulting from human error. It is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and a huge backend server that analyzes and collects data. Passenger railroads also embrace technology to improve security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to aid security personnel in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in the event of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to make use of drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lights on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb. Other technologies that could be utilized for passenger railroads include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send a warning to drivers if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These technologies are particularly effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other problems in the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are less witnesses to an accident. Another important technological breakthrough in the railway industry is telematics which enables railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to see a traincar's status and condition through real-time tracking. Railcar operators and crews can benefit from greater accountability and visibility which can help them increase efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays when delivering freight.