The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies involved in intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the secure and reliable transportation of both people and goods.

FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad track, signal and train control systems as well as operating practices. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

A federal railroad is a rail carrier in the United States that is controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) establishes and enforces safety regulations, administers railroad funding, and researches ways to improve rail transportation systems. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division and its chief executives are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that uses the railway network of the United States. The agency also coordinates government funding for rail transportation and supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. In addition, the agency oversees the ownership and operation of all intermodal facilities, such as tracks, rights-of-way, equipment, real property and rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's duties include establishing, through regulation, following the notification and comment an avenue through which any person may submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or deficiencies. Additionally, the FRA creates policies and conducts inspections to determine compliance with its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines tracks signals and train control motive power and equipment operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency has the responsibility of making sure the railroad transportation system is safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable. The agency also demands that railroads to maintain a safe workplace and provide adequate training for their employees. The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is charged fair prices for transportation services.

Additionally the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad employees, as well as protects whistleblowers from being retaliated against by railroad carriers. The agency also has an procedure through which railroad employees can file complaints against the company's actions.

The primary goal of the FRA is to ensure the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America today and into the future. The FRA accomplishes this by regulating rail safety, managing programs for assistance to railroads conducting research in support of improving safety in the railroad industry and national transportation policies, coordinating rail networking development and helping the private industry manage railroads. In the past, railroads were essentially monopolies with little competition. The railroad industry was able to abuse its dominant position in the market, resulting in. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as and other regulatory agencies, to limit railroad monopolies' abuses.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a government agency that establishes regulations, manages rail funds and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It is responsible for both passenger and freight railroads, and operates the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the current rail systems.

Security is the primary responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and has several divisions that oversee the country's freight and passenger railway operations. The most important of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, with around 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections that determine compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines: track signals, train control, motive power and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has additional departments which include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs aimed to improve passenger and freight rail transport, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. The department also is responsible for the grants that are given to help railways, and it collaborates with other agencies to develop plans for the nation's rail requirements.

The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws pertaining to railroads and their workers. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against workers and making sure that injured railway employees are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. Additionally, railroads are prohibited from denying or delaying medical treatment for injured railway employees.

The FRA is the primary regulator federal employers’ Liability for the passenger and freight rail industry, but other organizations oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for establishing rates and managing economics in the sector. It is also the regulator for railroad mergers, line sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of rules after opportunity for public input, by which anyone may report alleged rail safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as and villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and final products from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a range of essential commodities including oil, grains, and coal. In 2020, freight railroads carried more than a quarter of all freight volumes in the United States [PDF].

The federal railroad is run as a business. It has departments for marketing and operations, sale and an executive department. The marketing and sales department 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 produces the rail services that satisfy those requirements at the cheapest cost to generate revenue for the railroad. The executive department is responsible for the entire operation, ensuring that every department is running smoothly.

The government provides support to railways through a variety of ways such as grants and subsidised rates for government-owned traffic. Congress also offers funds to help build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often in addition to the revenue the railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts.

Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi-public for-profit company with a huge shareholder that is the United States government.

A key function of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is establishing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains and the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes data on rail safety in order to identify patterns and areas that might require more or better regulatory attention.

In addition to these primary tasks, FRA works on various other projects that aim to improve the economy and security of rail transportation in the United States. The agency, for example is working to eliminate barriers that could delay railroads in implementing positive train control (PTC). PTC is a security technology that makes use of sensors and computers to stop a train at the moment it is too close to an object or vehicle.

History

The nation's first railroads were built in the 1820s and 1830s largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads greatly accelerated industrialization in these regions, and also brought more food items to the market. This allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports from abroad, which in turn contributed to a stronger economic base.

In the late 19th century the railroad industry enjoyed the benefits of a "Golden Age" during which new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger transportation became popular. The government's efforts in expanding the railroad system was an important aspect. The government, for example granted land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to move to the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to construct the first transcontinental railroad which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days.

However, in the first half of the 20th century, demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other modes of transport like airplanes and cars gained popularity, while the stifling of regulations choked railroads' ability to compete economically. A series of bankruptcies and service cuts, and deferred maintenance were the result. The misguided federal rail regulations contributed to the decline.

Around the year 1970, the federal government began to loosen the regulations governing 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 established to set standards for rail safety and is one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation.

Since then, a large amount of money has been made in the country's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate more efficient and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to create more efficient freight rail systems. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the coming years. It is the responsibility of FRA to help make sure that the transportation system of the United States operates as efficiently as it can.