The Federal Railroad Administration

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

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

Definition

A federal employers railroad is a railway in the United States that is controlled by the government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) establishes and enforces safety regulations, administers funds for railroads, and investigates ways to improve the efficiency of rail transportation systems. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation which is responsible for intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency supervises all freight and passenger transportation that is conducted through the nation's rail network. The agency also consolidates the federal funding for rail transportation and assists in the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor passenger service. In addition, the agency oversees the operation and ownership of all intermodal facilities 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 duties include establishing, through regulation, after notice and comments are allowed, a process by anyone can submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or inconsistencies. The agency also formulates policies, conducts inspections and evaluates the compliance of its railroad laws in six technical disciplines, including track, signal, and train control as well as motive power and equipment; operating practices; hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.

The agency is in charge of ensuring that the railroad transportation system is operated in a safe, economical, and environmentally friendly manner. The agency also demands that railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide adequate training to their employees. Furthermore, the agency sets and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public is receiving a fair rate for their transportation services.

In addition, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad employees, as well as protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad carriers. The agency also has an avenue for railroad employees to submit complaints about the conduct of the company.

The primary goal of the agency is to ensure secure, reliable and efficient transportation of people and goods for a stronger America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through controlling rail safety, coordinating programs for assistance to railroads conducting research in support of improving safety in the railroad industry and national transportation policies as well as coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting private companies manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies with little competition. The railroad industry was able to abuse its dominance in the market due to. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as along with other regulatory agencies to control railroad monopolies' abuses.

Purpose

Federal railroads are government agencies that establish rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transport in the United States. It supervises 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 charged with maintaining and expanding the current railway systems, ensuring capacity of the rail industry to meet growing travel and freight demands and providing leadership in national and regional system planning.

The government's primary responsibility in the rail transportation industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and has several divisions that manage the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of these with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections in six different technical disciplines, including track signalling, train control, motive 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 at enhancing passenger and freight railway transport, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants for railways and collaborates with other agencies to determine the nation's rail requirements.

Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes stopping railroads from discriminating against workers, and making sure that all railway employees injured are transported to the nearest hospital for initial aid treatment. It also prohibits railroads from refusing or delaying medical treatment for injured railway employees.

The FRA is the primary regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries, but there are other agencies that manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for setting rates and managing the economics of the industry. It is also responsible for regulating mergers in the railroad industry, line sales construction, and abandonment. Other responsibilities include establishing regulations following an opportunity for public input, by which anyone may submit complaints about rail safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in the developed world as well as villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from manufacturing and processing facilities, and finished goods from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, such as coal, oil, and grains. In 2020, freight railroads carried more than a quarter of all freight in the United States [PDF(PDF).

The federal railroad is run like any other business. It has departments for marketing and sale, operations and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales consults with customers and potential clients to determine what services they require and what they will cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that satisfy those requirements at the lowest possible cost in order to earn money for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that each department is operating efficiently.

The government supports the railways with a variety means such as grants and subsidised rates on government-owned traffic. Congress also offers funds to help build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often a part of the revenues that railroads receive through tickets and freight contracts.

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

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) primary task is to formulate and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical condition of trains as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also gathers and analyzes information on rail safety to identify trends and areas that may require improvement or more regulation.

FRA also works on other projects that help improve the safety and economy of railroad transportation in the United States. The agency, for example, aims to reduce the obstacles that can hinder railroads in implementing positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that makes use of sensors and on-board computers to stop the train automatically when it gets too close to a vehicle or object.

History

In the 1820s-1830s, the first railroads in the United States were constructed, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in these regions and also brought more food items to the market. This helped the country become more independent and less dependent on imports.

In the late 19th century the railroad industry enjoyed an "Golden Age" that saw new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger transportation became popular. The government's efforts to expand the railroad system were a major factor. The government, for instance provided homesteaders land grants to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to build the first transcontinental railway, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days.

In the first half century, however the demand for passenger rail services dwindled, while other modes of transportation like planes and automobiles became more popular. However, stifling regulations hindered railroads' ability to compete. A series of bankruptcies, delays in maintenance and service cuts were the result. Misguided federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline.

In the year 1970, the federal authorities began to ease the regulations governing railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic matters such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established, which is responsible for establishing rules for safety in rail and is one of the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation.

Since then, the railroad infrastructure of the United States has seen a significant amount of investment. 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 create more efficient freight rail. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its partnership with all transportation agencies to ensure the safety and reliability of railroads. It is the job of FRA to ensure that the transportation system of the United States operates as efficiently as it can.