The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the 10 DOT agencies concerned with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and reliable movement of people and goods.

FRA field inspectors regularly inspect railroad tracks, signals and train control systems, as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

Federal railroads are the rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for the creation and enforcement of railway safety regulations, manages funds for railroads, and investigates ways to improve the efficiency of rail transportation systems. The FRA is one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that are concerned with intermodal transportation, and its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency supervises all freight and passenger transport that utilizes the nation's railway network. The agency also consolidates the funding provided by the federal government for rail transportation and assists in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. Additionally, the agency oversees the ownership and operation of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks, rights-of-way, equipment, real property and rolling stock. It also handles the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's responsibilities also include the establishment, through regulation and after an opportunity for comments, a procedure by which anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues. Additionally, the FRA establishes policies and conducts inspections in order to evaluate the compliance with its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines: track signal and train control, motive power and machinery, operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency is in charge of ensuring that the railway transportation system operates in a safe, economical and sustainable manner. In turn, the agency requires railroads to maintain a safe working environment and provide the appropriate training to their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is charged in a fair manner for transportation services.

Additionally the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad workers, and also protects whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad carriers. The agency also establishes procedures for railroad employees can make complaints against the company's actions.

The main goal of the FRA is to ensure safe, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America now and in future. The FRA achieves this by overseeing the regulation of rail safety, managing programs to assist railroads, conducting research to support improved railroad safety and national transportation policies as well as coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were large monopolies that had no competition. The railroad industry abused its dominance in the market due to. Therefore, Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent the abuses of railroad monopolies.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a government agency that sets regulations, manages funds for rail and researches ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It manages the railroad infrastructure of the United States and supervises freight and passenger railroads. It is one of ten agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the existing railroad systems.

Safety is the main responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a variety of divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The largest of them is the Office of Railroad Safety, with about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections to determine compliance with the regulations in six technical disciplines: track signals, train control, motive power and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat and lawsuit highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has other departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs aimed at improving freight and passenger rail transportation, like the Northeast Corridor Future. The department is also responsible for grants that are given to railways and collaborates with other agencies in planning for the nation's rail requirements.

The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws pertaining to railroads and workers. This includes stopping railroads from using their power to discriminate against employees and ensuring that all injured railway staff are taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. Railroads are also prohibited from delay or refuse medical treatment for injured railway employees.

The FRA is the primary regulator of the passenger and freight rail industries, but there are other agencies which manage the economic aspects of rail transport. The Surface Transportation Board, for example is responsible for setting rates and governing the financial aspects of the industry. It has regulatory authority on railroad mergers, line-sales, construction, and abandonment. After a period of public consultation, the agency is also responsible for establishing regulations that allow anyone to file a complaint about any alleged safety issues with rail.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as also to villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories, and the finished products from those facilities to stores and warehouses. Railroads are a vital mode of transportation for many essential commodities, such as coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight rail carried more than a quarter of nation's total freight volumes [PDF(PDF).

A federal railroad operates as a business just like other businesses with departments for marketing and sales, operations and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales works with potential and current customers to determine the type of rail services they need and the amount they should cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest possible cost to generate revenue for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and ensures that each department is running efficiently.

The government supports railways in a variety ways from grants to subsidised rates for government-owned transport. Congress also offers funds to help build new track and stations. These subsidies are often added to the money that railroads earn through tickets and freight contracts.

Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi public for-profit corporation, which has the United States Government as a major stockholder.

A major purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is establishing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical conditions of trains, as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also analyzes and collects data on rail safety to identify patterns and areas that might need improved or increased regulation.

FRA also has other projects to improve the safety and efficiency of railroad transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency, aims to reduce the obstacles that can hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and on-board computers to stop the train automatically when it is too close to a vehicle or object.

History

The nation's first railroads were constructed in the 1820s and 1830s largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads increased industrialization and brought more food products to markets in these regions. This made the country more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports.

In the 19th century's final years, the railroad industry enjoyed an "Golden Age" in which new, more efficient raillines were built and passenger transportation became popular. This was in large part because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for instance provided homesteaders land grants 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 passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days.

However in the early part of the 20th century, the demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other transportation options like automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while stifling regulations hindered railroads in their ability to compete economically. A series of bankruptcies and service cuts, and deferred maintenance were the result. Uninformed federal employers liability rail regulations also contributed to the decline.

In the year 1970 the federal government began to ease the regulatory shackles on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects like railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates freight and passenger transport and sets standards for rail safety, was also created.

Since then, a large amount of investment has been made in the country's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to develop more efficient freight rail. FRA hopes to continue to work with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the near future. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transport system runs as efficiently as possible.