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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 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. SMART-TD and its allies made history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two people should be allowed in the locomotive cabs 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 formulates and enforces regulations for rail safety as well as manages funding for rail and researches strategies for improving rail and technology. It also creates plans, implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also works to expand and improve the national rail network. The department requires all railroad employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes taking part in a confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees, with full-union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the required personal protective equipment. Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties are handed out to those who violate the rail safety laws. The safety inspectors of the agency have a broad discretion on whether a particular violation meets the statutory description of a civil penalty-worthy act. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also reviews all reports that regional offices submit to ensure they are legal prior to imposing penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in cases that warrant their use. To be convicted of a civil violation the employee of a rail company must know the rules and regulations that govern the conduct of his or her employees. They must also knowingly ignore these rules. The agency does not believe 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 whole network that carries goods and passengers between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad at a steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall rail system of transportation, even being physically connected to it. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency oversees rail finance, which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for new capacity and expanding the network strategically and coordinating the regional and national system planning and development. The agency is responsible for freight transportation but also oversees passenger transport. The agency is working to offer more options for passenger travel and connect people to the places they'd like to go. The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience as well as enhancing the safety of the current fleet, and ensuring the rail network is operating efficiently. Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, including those pertaining to the size of crews on trains. This issue has become an issue of contention in recent years, with a few states passing legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at an international level, and ensures that all railroads are subject to consistent 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 enable FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the criteria for reviewing an application for special approval from determining if an operation is “consistent” with railroad safety to determining if the operation is as safe or more secure than a two-person crew operations. During the public comment period on this rule, many people supported the requirement for a two-person crew. A letter written by 29 people outlined their concerns that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing. Commenters emphasized that human factors are the reason for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger crew could ensure the safety of the train and its cargo. Technology Freight and passenger railroads employ various technologies to improve efficiency, add safety, boost security and much more. Rail industry jargon includes a variety of specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also called drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drones). Technology isn't merely replacing jobs, it's also empowering people to perform their jobs more effectively and 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, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to becoming a reality. As part of its ongoing effort to advance safe, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country The Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This multi-billion dollar project will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems, and tracks updated, and stations being rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvements program will be greatly extended by the recently passed bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a key component of this effort. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication with and using inputs from a wide range of stakeholders. It must continue to be aware of how its research contributes to the department's main goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods by railways. The agency could enhance its effectiveness by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technology. fela railroad accident lawyer of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research, policy and standard setting, established the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help establish standards for the industry. The FRA is interested in the group's development of a taxonomy to describe automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This could be applicable to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency will want to know the degree of risk the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and if the industry is considering additional safeguards to reduce the risk. Innovation Railroads are embracing technology to increase worker safety, make business processes more efficient and help ensure that the freight they move reaches its destination safely. Examples of this innovation range from the use of sensors and cameras to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders to the scene of an accident so they can swiftly mitigate damage and reduce the risk to property and people. One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be and other accidents that result from human error. The system is comprised of three parts of onboard locomotive systems that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a massive server that collects and analyses data. Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to increase security and safety. Amtrak for instance, is experimenting with the use of drones in order to help security personnel on trains find passengers and other items in the event of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to make use of drones. They could be used to check bridges and other infrastructure or to replace the lighting on railway towers, which are dangerous for workers to climb. Other technologies that can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology that can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and issue a warning to drivers if it's unsafe to travel. These types of technologies are particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during off-hours, when traffic levels are lower and fewer people are around to witness an accident. Telematics is another important technological breakthrough in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other stakeholders to monitor a traincar in real-time. Crews and railcar operators can benefit from greater accountability and transparency which will allow them to improve efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.