The Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT which are responsible for intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the secure and reliable transportation of people and goods.
FRA field inspectors regularly check railroad track, signal and train control systems, as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints.
Definition
A federal railroad is a rail carrier in the United States that is controlled by the government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is part of the U.S. railroad injury fela lawyer of Transportation, develops and enforces railway regulations as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division, and its top officers are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.
The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that is made possible by the railway system of the United States. The agency also coordinates the federal funding for rail transportation, and helps with the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor passenger service. The agency also regulates the ownership and operation of intermodal facilities, such as tracks, right of way equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also manages federal rail transportation programs.
The FRA's duties include establishing, through regulation, following an notice and comments are allowed an avenue through which any person may submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or inconsistencies. The agency also establishes policies, conducts inspections, and reviews the compliance of its railroad laws in six technical disciplines, including track signal, track, and train control locomotive power and equipment; operating practices as well as hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.
The agency is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the railroad transportation system is safe, economical and sustainable. The agency also requires that railroads to maintain a safe workplace and provide adequate training to their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is charged fairly for transportation services.
In addition the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad employees and protect whistleblowers from being retaliated against by railroad companies. The agency also has an procedure through which railroad employees can file complaints regarding the company's actions.
The main goal of the FRA is to ensure the safe, reliable and effective transportation of people and goods for a stronger America today and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through controlling safety of railroads, coordinating railroad assistance programs and conducting research that supports improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policy, coordinating and supporting rail networking development, and helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market with little competition. The railroad industry abused its dominance in the market as a result. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as and other regulatory agencies to control the monopolies' exploitation of railroads.
Purpose
Federal railroads are government agencies that set regulations, manage rail funds and conduct research to improve rail transportation in the United America. It is responsible for both freight and passenger railroads, and manages the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of the ten agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the current rail systems, as well as ensuring the capacity of the rail industry to meet the growing demand for freight and travel, as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning.
The main responsibility of the federal government in the rail transportation industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a number of divisions that supervise the country's passenger and freight rail operations. The largest of them is the Office of Railroad Safety, which is home to approximately 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections to ensure compliance with the regulations in six technical disciplines: track, signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.
FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It oversees programs that aim to improve freight and passenger railway transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department also is in charge of the grants that railways and works with other agencies to plan for the nation's rail requirements.
The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws that pertain to railroads and workers. This includes stopping railroads from using their power to discriminate against workers and ensuring that railway workers injured are taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. Additionally, railroads are prohibited from refusing or delaying medical care to injured railway employees.
The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries, but there are other organizations that oversee the economic aspects of rail transport. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for determining rates and governing the economics of the industry. It is also responsible for regulating mergers in the railroad industry and line sales construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include establishing regulations after a public input opportunity and participation, where anyone can report alleged rail safety violations to the agency.
Functions
Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in the developed world as well as villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and finished products from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Rail is a vital form of transportation for a number of essential commodities like grains, oil and coal. In 2020, freight rail carried more than a quarter of nation's total freight volumes [PDF].
The federal railroad is managed like any other business. It has departments for marketing, operations, sale and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales works with current and potential customers to determine the kind of rail services they need and how much they will cost. The operations department then creates rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest cost possible to generate revenue for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that every department is operating efficiently.
The government helps the railways by a variety of ways, including grants and subsidized rates on government-owned traffic. Congress also provides funds to help build and maintain new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often added to the revenues that railroads receive through tickets and freight contracts.
In the United States, the government has the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for-profit company, with the United States Government as a major stockholder.
The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) primary function is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains, as well as the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also gathers and analyzes data on rail safety to identify trends and areas that may require improvement or more regulatory attention.
In addition to these core functions, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the security and economy of rail transportation in the United States. For example, the agency is working to remove obstacles that could hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety technology that utilizes sensors and computers on board to stop a train at the moment it is too close to another vehicle or object.
History
The nation's first railroads were built in the 1820s and 1830s mostly in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads increased industrialization and brought more food to the market in these regions. This helped the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports from abroad, which contributed to a stronger economic base.
In the late 19th century the railroad industry enjoyed an "Golden Age" in which new, more efficient raillines were built and passenger travel became popular. The government's efforts to expand the railroad system was an important reason. For instance, the government provided land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to move to the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also partnered to build the first transcontinental railroad which allowed passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.
In the first half century, however, the demand for rail passenger services declined, and other modes of transportation like planes and automobiles became more popular. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation stifled railroads' economic ability to compete. A series of bankruptcies, service cuts and deferred maintenance was the next step. Additionally, a misguided railroad regulations from the federal government caused the demise of the industry.
In the year 1970, the federal authorities began to ease the regulatory restrictions on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee the economic aspects of the industry, such as mergers and rates for railroads. The Federal Railroad Administration was also created, which sets rail safety regulations and is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation.
Since then, the railroad infrastructure of the United America has seen a great deal of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There are also efforts to create more efficient systems for freight rail. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its collaboration with all transportation agencies in order to ensure safe and reliable railroads. It is the responsibility of FRA to ensure that the transportation system of the United States is as efficient as it can be.