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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for safety regulations for rail and enforcement, as well as funding for rail, and research on rail improvement strategies. FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized. Allies and members of SMART-TD made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to keep two people 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 safeguard the health and welfare of employees as well as the general public. It is responsible for creating and enforcing regulations for rail safety. It also administers rail funding, and studies rail improvement strategies and technology. It also creates and implements a strategy to maintain current infrastructure, rail services and capacity, and strategically expands and enhances the national rail network. The department requires all rail employers to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools to succeed and stay safe. This includes the confidential close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees, with full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the needed personal protective equipment. Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail regulations and laws. They perform routine inspections on equipment and conduct investigations into hundreds of complaints. Anyone who violates rail safety laws may be penalized civilly. Safety inspectors from the agency have a broad discretion on whether an individual violation is in line with 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 by regional offices for legality before determining penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is utilized only in cases that truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine. To be considered guilty of a civil infringement, a rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern their actions. They also must be aware that they not adhere to these rules. The agency does not consider that an individual who acts upon a directive from a supervisor is guilty of committing a willful crime. The agency defines the “general railroad system of transportation” as the whole network over which goods and passengers travel within cities and metropolitan areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad at the steel mill isn't considered part of the general transportation system by rail, even although it is physically connected to it. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains that pertain to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency is responsible for managing rail finance, including loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies for improving the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes maintaining current rail infrastructure and services, in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity and strategically expanding the network, as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development. The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people with the places they want and provide more options for travel. The agency is focused on enhancing the passenger experience and increasing the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the rail network is operating efficiently. Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, including those related to the size of the crews on trains. In recent years, this issue has become controversial. Certain states have passed legislation requiring two-person crews in trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum crew size requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow 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 enable FRA to assess the requirements of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule alters the standard of review for an approval petition that is based on to determining whether an operation is “consistent with railroad safety” to determining whether the operation is secure or as safe as a two-crewmember operation. During the period of public comments for this rule, a lot of people voiced their support for a requirement for two people on the crew. A letter from 29 people expressed their concern that a single crew member would not be as quick to respond to issues with trains or grade crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail grade crossing. The commenters emphasized that human factors are responsible for more than half railroad accidents and believe that a larger team will ensure the safety of the train and its cargo. Technology Freight and passenger railroads employ numerous technologies to improve efficiency, add security, increase safety and more. Rail industry jargon includes a variety of specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also known as drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones). Technology isn't merely replacing jobs; it's helping individuals to perform their work better and safer. 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 vehicles, are inching closer to becoming reality. The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe, reliable, and affordable transportation in the United States, is focused on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion-dollar effort that will see tunnels and bridges repaired as well as tracks and power systems upgraded and stations rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvement program will be significantly increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key element in 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 variety of stakeholders. But it still needs to focus more on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via railway. One area in which the agency could be able to increase its effectiveness is by identifying and assisting the development of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the principal industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research, policy and standard setting, established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help develop standards within the industry. FRA is likely to be interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that would be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will need to know the amount of risk that the industry perceives with fully automated operation, and if the industry is considering additional safeguards to reduce the risk. Innovation Rail companies are adopting technology to enhance worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport is delivered in good condition. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight to new railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency responders directly to accident sites to reduce the risk and minimize damages to property and individuals. Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most important innovations in rail. fela lawsuits can stop train-to-train accidents, instances where trains are on track they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human error. The system is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and an enormous backend server that analyzes and collects data. Passenger railroads also embrace technology to improve security and safety. Amtrak, for example, is experimenting with drones in order to help train security personnel locate passengers and items in an emergency. The company is also exploring other ways to use drones, such as using drones to inspect bridges as well as other infrastructure, such as replacing the lighting on railway towers, which could be hazardous for workers to climb. Smart track technology is a different technology that can be utilized in railways for passengers. It can detect people or objects on tracks and warn drivers that it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are particularly useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues during the evenings when traffic is less and there are less witnesses to an accident. Another significant technological advance in the rail industry is telematics, which allows railroads, shippers and other stakeholders to see a traincar's status and condition through real-time tracking. Such capabilities give railcar operators and their crews more accountability and transparency and assist them in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays in the delivery of freight to customers.