Lasonya Andrzejewski

The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for rail safety regulations and enforcement, rail funding, and research on rail improvement strategies. FRA field inspectors use discretion to determine which cases merit the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This discretion helps ensure that those violations most deserving of punishment are punished. Allies and members of SMART-TD have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to keep two people in the locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight continues. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to ensure the health of employees and public. It formulates and enforces rail safety regulations as well as manages funding for rail and studies strategies for improving rail infrastructure and technologies. It also formulates and implements a plan to maintain current infrastructure, services, and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department expects all railroad employers to abide by strict rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes participation in the confidential close-call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees with full participation from unions and protection against retaliation and providing employees with personal safety equipment. FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety regulations and laws. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations of complaints of non-compliance. Anyone who is in violation of the rail safety laws could be penalized civilly. The agency's safety inspectors have a broad discretion on whether a particular violation meets the legal definition of a civil penalty-worthy act. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also examines all reports that regional offices submit to ensure they are legal before assessing penalties. The exercise of this discretion at the regional and field levels ensures that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is utilized only in cases that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil penalty. A rail worker must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern his or fela federal employers liability Act her actions, and not knowingly violate those rules to commit a civil penalty-worthy offense. However, the agency does not consider any individual who follows a directive from a supervisor as having committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network that allows passengers and goods to travel within metropolitan areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in a steelmill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, despite the fact that it's physically connected. Regulation The Federal Employers’ Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing train regulations that pertain to safety and the transportation of hazardous substances. The agency also oversees rail financing including loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the nation's railway system. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for new capacity and expanding the network strategically, and coordinating regional and national system development and planning. The agency is mostly responsible for freight transport, but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they would like to go. The agency is focused primarily on enhancing the experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail system continues to operate efficiently. Railroads must comply with a variety of federal regulations, which include the ones pertaining to the size and composition of the train crews. This issue has become a controversial one in recent years, with some states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum size crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards. This rule also requires that every railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will allow FRA to identify the specifics of each operation and compare them with those of a standard two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the standard for reviewing an approval request that is a special case from determining whether an operation is "consistent" with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is safer or less risky than a two-person crew operations. During the time of public comment for this rule, a lot of people voted for a requirement of two persons on the crew. In a letter to the editor, 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crewmember will not be able to respond as quickly to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency personnel on an elevated highway crossing. Commenters noted that human factor are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the safety of the train as well as its cargo. Technology Freight and passenger rails employ various technologies to improve efficiency, increase safety, and boost security. Rail industry jargon includes a variety of unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented, driverless train, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones). Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to do their jobs better and more safely. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are coming closer to becoming reality. The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in the United States, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar effort will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems, and tracks upgraded and stations rebuilt or replace. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly expand the agency's rail improvements programs. The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a central component of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office revealed that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication using inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. It still needs to focus on how its research contributes to the department's primary objective of ensuring the safety of people and goods by rail. One area in which the agency might be able to improve its effectiveness is in 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 that focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy and has established an Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping establish standards for the industry. The FRA is interested in the group's development of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles, a system that defines clearly and consistently the different levels of automation. This could apply to rail transit as well as vehicles on the road. The agency will also want to understand the level of safety risk that the industry perceives associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether the industry is considering adding additional protections to minimize the risk. Innovation Rail companies are embracing technology to improve worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the cargo they transport reaches its destination intact. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies even provide a way for railroads to dispatch emergency personnel to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to property and people. Positive Train Control (PTC) is among the most important innovations in rail. It is designed to stop train-to-train accidents, instances when trains are in a position they shouldn't and other accidents caused by human error. The system is a three-part process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge backend server that collects and analyzes data. Passenger railroads also embrace technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist passenger security staff in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in case in the event of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to use drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructure or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are dangerous for workers to climb. Other technologies that can be used for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and issue drivers with a warning if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These technologies are particularly useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues in the evenings when traffic is less 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 the condition and status of a traincar via real-time tracking. Such capabilities give railcar operators and their crews more control and visibility. They can also help them improve efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in the delivery of freight to customers.