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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 field inspectors use discretion to decide which cases warrant the exact and lengthy civil penalty process. This discretion helps to ensure that the most serious violations are punished. SMART-TD members and allies made history in 2024 when they began pushing the FRA to allow two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight continues. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to protect the health and safety of its employees and the general public. It formulates and enforces rail safety regulations as well as manages funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies and technologies. It also develops plans, implements and maintains plans for the maintenance of current rail services and infrastructure. It also develops and improves the rail network across the nation. The department demands that all rail employers adhere to strict guidelines that empower their employees and provide them with tools to be secure and productive. This includes taking part in the confidential close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees that have full union participation, as well as anti-retaliation protections and providing employees with needed personal protection equipment. Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct hundreds of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties can be handed out to those who violate rail safety laws. Safety inspectors at the agency have a wide discretion to determine if a violation falls under the legal definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also reviews all reports that regional offices submit to ensure that they are legal prior to imposing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the regional and field levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is used only in cases which truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty. To be considered guilty of a civil offense an employee of a railroad must know the rules and regulations that govern the conduct of his or her employees. They also must be aware that they not adhere to these rules. However, the agency does not consider anyone who acts under a directive from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines the “general railroad system of transportation” as the entire network over which goods and passengers travel within cities and 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 Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains that pertain to safety and the movement of hazardous substances. The agency also manages financing for rail which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency works with other DOT agencies and the industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's railway system. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services and in addition to addressing the need for additional capacity strategically expanding the network and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development. While most of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also manages passenger transportation. The agency aims to connect people to places they want and provide more alternatives for travel. The agency is focused primarily on enhancing the experience for passengers and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet and ensuring the rail network continues operating efficiently. Railroads are required to comply with a variety of federal regulations, including the ones pertaining to the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent years the issue has been a source of contention. Certain states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews in trains. This final rule outlines the minimum size of crew requirements at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards. This rule also requires that each railroad that has a one-person crew notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will allow FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the criteria for reviewing an approval request that is a special case to determine if an operation is “consistent” with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as safe or more secure than a two-person crew operations. During the public comment period for this rule, a large number of people backed a two-person crew requirement. In a letter to the editor, 29 people expressed their concern that a single crewmember is not able to respond as quickly to train accidents or malfunctions at grade crossings, or assist emergency personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. Commenters pointed out that human factor are responsible for more than half all railroad accidents. They believe that a larger team could ensure the security of the train as well as its cargo. Technology Trains for passenger and freight use a variety of technologies to improve efficiency, enhance security, and improve safety. Rail industry jargon includes a variety of unique 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 vehicles (also called drones). Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It empowers people to perform their jobs better and safer. Passenger railroads are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards to improve ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are coming closer to becoming reality. As part of its ongoing efforts to advance safe, reliable and affordable transportation options for the country, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollars initiative that will see tunnels and bridges restored tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. FRA's recently enacted bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly increase the agency's rail improvement programs. The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a key element in this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled in engaging, maintaining communication using inputs from a wide range of stakeholders. However, it needs to concentrate on how its research helps the department achieve its primary strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods by rail. The agency could increase its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research and policy, as well as standard setting and has established the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help create standards within the industry. FRA is interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will want to know the degree of risk that the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to reduce that risk. Innovation Railroads are adopting technology to increase worker safety and improve business processes. efficient, and ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination safely. Examples of this innovation vary from the use sensors and cameras to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep dangerous cargo safe during transport. Some of these technologies even allow railroads to send emergency responders to the scene of an accident so they can quickly mitigate the damage and reduce the risk to property and lives. One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC), which will inhibit collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be, and other accidents resulting from human error. The system is comprised of three components consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive and a huge server that analyzes and collects data. Railroads that transport passengers also use technology to improve security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security staff in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in the event in an emergency. The company is also examining ways to use drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructures or to replace the lights on railway towers that are hazardous for workers to climb. Smart track technology is another technology that can be used in passenger railroads. It can detect people or objects on tracks and warn motorists that it is not safe to continue. These technologies are particularly useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues in the evenings when traffic is less and there are fewer witnesses to an accident. Telematics is a significant technological breakthrough in the railway industry. It allows shippers, railways and other stakeholders to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. Railcar operators and crews will benefit from increased accountability and visibility, which will help them to improve efficiency and avoid unnecessary maintenance. fela attorneys Accident Injury Lawyers will also help reduce delays when delivering freight.