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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 rail improvement strategies. FRA inspectors on the ground make use of discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty procedure. This ensures 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 locomotive cab of freight trains. The fight is not over. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to ensure the safety and health of employees and the public. It is responsible for developing and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also manages the funding for rail and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also creates the implementation and maintenance of an action plan to maintain the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also works to expand and improve the national rail network. The department requires all rail companies to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes taking part in the secure close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees, with full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with personal protective equipment. FRA inspectors are on the front lines of enforcement of rail safety laws and regulations. They perform routine inspections on equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Those who violate the safety rules for rail can be subject to civil penalties. Safety inspectors from the agency are able to decide on the extent to which a particular violation meets the statutory description of a crime that is punishable by civil penalties. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's security division reviews all reports that are received from regional offices to determine their legality before determining penalties. This discretion is exercised at the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used in cases that warrant their use. Rail employees must be aware of rules and regulations that govern his or her actions and be aware of the rules to be guilty of a civil penalty-worthy offence. The agency doesn't consider that a person who acts upon a directive from a supervisor is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines “general railroad system” as the entire network that transports passengers and goods within and between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steelmill isn't 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 related to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages rail financing which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvements. The agency works with other DOT agencies and with industry to devise strategies to improve the country's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for additional capacity, expanding the network strategically, as well as coordinating the regional and national system planning and development. The agency is responsible for freight transport, but also oversees passenger transport. The agency is working to provide more options for passengers and connect people with the places they'd like to travel to. The agency is focused primarily on improving the passenger's experience as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently. Railroads must comply with a number of federal regulations, which include the ones pertaining to the size and composition of train crews. This is controversial in recent years, with some states passing legislation to require two-person crews on trains. This final rule outlines the minimum crew size requirements at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards. This rule also requires that each railroad operating with a crew of one notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to better identify the specifics of each operation and compare them with those of a normal two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the review standard of a special approval request from determining if an operation is “consistent” with railroad safety to determining if the operation is safer or less risky than a two-person crew operations. During the public comment period on this rule, a lot of people supported the requirement of a two-person crew. In a letter to the editor 29 people expressed their concerns that a single member of the crew will not be capable of responding as quickly to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings, or assist emergency response personnel on the highway-rail level crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half of railroad accidents and believe that a larger crew would help ensure the safety of both the train and its cargo. Technology Freight and passenger rails use different technologies to increase efficiency, improve security, and increase safety. Rail industry jargon includes a variety of unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems, driverless train, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicle (also called drones). Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to perform their jobs better and safer. fela railroad settlements for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to increase passengership and boost the efficiency of their system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to becoming a reality. As part of its ongoing effort to improve safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for the nation The Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar effort will see bridges, tunnels, tracks and power systems updated, and stations renovated or replaced. 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 key component of this initiative. Recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging in a continuous dialogue and utilizing the inputs from a range of stakeholders. But it still needs to concentrate on how its research helps the department achieve its primary strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via rail. The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technology. The Association of American Railroads, the main freight rail industry industry organization that focuses on policy, research and standard-setting and has created 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, a system of standards to clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will also be looking to understand 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 protections to minimize the risk. Innovation Railroads are embracing technology to improve worker safety and improve business processes. efficient, and ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination safely. Examples of this kind of innovations range from the use of sensors and cameras to track freight, to the latest railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency responders directly to sites of accidents to minimize the risk and damages to property and individuals. Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most important innovations in rail. It is designed to prevent train-to-train accidents, situations where trains are on track they shouldn't be, and other accidents caused by human errors. This system is made up of three parts: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive; and a huge server that analyzes and collects data. Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to aid security personnel in finding passengers and other items aboard trains in case of an emergency. Amtrak is also investigating other possibilities to utilize drones, such as using drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure, such as replacing the lights on railway towers, which could be dangerous for workers to climb. Other technologies that can be utilized for passenger railroads include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send drivers with a warning if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These technologies are particularly useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues during the evenings when traffic is less and there are fewer witnesses to an accident. Telematics is yet another significant technological advance in the railway industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other parties to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. Crews and railcar operators will benefit from increased accountability and transparency which can help them increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.