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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, rail funding and research on improving rail strategies. FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the time-consuming and precise civil penalty procedure. This discretion helps ensure that those violations most deserving of punishment are punished. SMART-TD members and allies made history in 2024 by 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 variety of safety measures in place to safeguard the health and safety of employees as well as the general public. fela claims is responsible for developing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also oversees the funding for rail and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technologies. It also develops and implements a plan to maintain current infrastructure, services, and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department requires all rail employers to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with tools needed to be successful and secure. This includes taking part in the secure close call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees, with full participation from unions and anti-retaliation safeguards, and providing employees with 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 investigate hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties may be applied to those who break rail safety laws. Safety inspectors at the agency have a wide decision-making power to determine if a violation falls under the statutory definition of an offense that is punishable with 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 both the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used in cases that warrant their use. To be convicted of a civil violation, a rail employee must know the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also be aware of and ignore these rules. The agency does not consider that an individual who acts on a supervisor's directive has committed a willful offense. 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 within the steelmill isn't considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it's physically connected. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains including those related to safety and the movement of dangerous substances. The agency also manages financing for rail including loans and grants for improvements to infrastructure and service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services, responding to the demands for additional capacity and expanding the network strategically and coordinating the national and regional system planning and development. The agency is primarily 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 travel to. The agency's focus is on enhancing the experience for passengers as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet and ensuring the rail network is operating efficiently. Railroads must comply with many federal regulations, relating to the size of the crews on trains. In recent times the issue has been a source of contention. Certain states have passed legislation mandating two-person teams on trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum size of crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards. This also requires every railroad that operates a single-person train crew to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to compare the parameters of each operation with those of a two-person standard crew operation. In addition this rule will change the standard of review for the special approval petition from determining whether an operation is “consistent with railroad safety” to determining if approving the operation is secure or as safe as an operation with two crew members. During the public comment period on this rule, a lot of people expressed support for the requirement for a two-person crew. In a form letter 29 people voiced their concerns that a single crew member is not in a position to respond with the speed required to respond to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on an elevated highway crossing. Commenters emphasized that human factors are the reason for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a larger team would ensure the safety of the train as well as its cargo. Technology Freight and passenger railroads employ various technologies to improve efficiency, add security, increase safety and much more. Rail industry jargon comprises many unique terms and acronyms. Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems (also known as drones) and rail-inspection systems that are instrumented, driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drones). Technology isn't only able to replace certain jobs. It helps people perform their jobs better and more safely. Railroads for passengers use apps on smartphones and contactless fare cards to boost ridership and increase the efficiency of their system. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are coming closer to reality. As part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe, reliable and affordable transportation for the nation The Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar initiative that will see bridges and tunnels restored tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded, and stations reconstructed 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 an essential element in this initiative. The most recent National Academies review of the office revealed that it was successful in engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs from a variety of stakeholders. However, it needs to concentrate on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring safe transportation of goods and people via rail. The agency could improve 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 that is focused on research and policy, as well as standard setting created the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping establish standards for the industry. The FRA is interested in the group’s creation of a taxonomy for automated rail vehicles which defines clearly and consistently different levels of automation. This would apply to both rail transit and on-road vehicles. The agency will also be looking to know the degree of risk to safety that the industry believes is associated with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering adding additional protections to minimize the risk. Innovation Rail companies are adopting technology to increase worker safety, boost efficiency in business processes and ensure that the freight they transport is delivered in good condition. Examples of such innovations include the use of sensors and cameras to keep track of freight, and to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies allow railroads dispatch emergency personnel directly to sites of accidents to minimize danger and minimize the damage to people and property. One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks they shouldn't be, and other accidents that result from human errors. This system is a three-part process consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and an enormous backend server that gathers and analyzes data. Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to enhance security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security personnel in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in case of an emergency. The company is also examining ways to use drones. They could be used to inspect bridges and other infrastructure, or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are hazardous for workers to climb. Other technologies that can be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which is able to detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send out an alert to drivers when it's unsafe to travel. These kinds of technologies are particularly beneficial in detecting unsafe crossings as well as other issues that can arise during off-hours, when traffic volumes are lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident. Another important technological advancement in the rail industry is telematics, which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to see a traincar's status and condition by real-time tracking. Traincar crews and operators can benefit from greater accountability and visibility which will allow them to increase efficiency as well as avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight.