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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail The Federal Railroad Administration also provides funding for rail and researches rail improvement strategies. FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to decide which cases merit the time-consuming and precise civil penalty process. This discretion helps ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are punished. Allies and members of SMART-TD have made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to ensure that two people are in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains. The fight continues. fela attorneys of safety measures to protect the health of employees as well as the public. It is responsible for establishing and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also administers rail funding and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technology. It also formulates and implements a plan to ensure that current infrastructure, rail services and capacity, and strategically develops and enhances the national rail network. The department requires all railroad employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and secure. This includes participating in the confidential close call reporting system, establishing occupational health and safety committees with full union participation, as well as protection against retaliation and providing employees with the necessary personal protection equipment. Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing safety on rail laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties are handed out to those who violate railroad safety laws. The safety inspectors of the agency have a broad discretion on whether an individual violation is in line with the legal definition of a criminal penalty-worthy act. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division examines all reports submitted from regional offices to determine their legal sufficiency before assessing penalties. This discretion is exercised both at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used in cases that warrant their use. To be considered guilty of a civil offense the employee of a rail company must know the rules and regulations governing his or her actions. They must also knowingly not adhere to these rules. However the agency doesn't take any person who acts under a directive from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation. The agency defines the “general railroad system of transportation” as the entire network over which goods and passengers travel within cities and metropolitan areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible to establish regulations for train operations, such as those relating to safety and the transportation of hazardous substances. The agency oversees railway finance, including loans and grants for service and infrastructure improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's rail system. This includes ensuring the current rail services and infrastructure as well as addressing the need for new capacity and strategically expanding the network, as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development. While the majority of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also oversees passenger transportation. The agency is trying to connect people with the places they want and provide more options for travel. The agency's primary focus is on improving the passenger's experience, enhancing safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues operating efficiently. Railroads are required to comply with a number of federal regulations, which include those that deal with the size and composition of the train crews. This issue has become a controversial one in recent years, with some states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. The final rule codifies the minimum size of crew requirements at the federal level, making sure that all railroads are subject to the same safety standards. This rule also requires each railroad that operates one-person train crews to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to evaluate the characteristics of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. Additionally, this rule changes the review standard for the special approval petition from to determining whether an operation is “consistent with railroad safety” to determining whether approving the operation is secure or as safe as a two-crewmember operation. During the public comment period on this rule, many people supported the requirement of a two-person crew. A letter written by 29 people expressed their concern that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents, or assist emergency response personnel at a highway-rail grade crossing. The commenters pointed out that human factors are responsible for more than half railroad accidents and they believe that a larger crew would help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports. Technology Freight and passenger rails use a variety of technologies to increase efficiency, improve security, and improve safety. The rail industry lingo includes many specific terms and acronyms, but some of the more significant developments include machine vision systems, instrumented rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly called drones). Technology isn't merely replacing jobs, it's also empowering individuals to perform their work more efficiently and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers use smartphones and contactless fare cards in order to increase ridership and improve the efficiency of their system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to becoming a reality. The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in America, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion dollar initiative that will see tunnels and bridges restored tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded, and stations rebuilt or replaced. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically increase the agency's rail improvement programs. The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is a crucial part of this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it excelled in keeping in touch using inputs from a broad range of stakeholders. But it must be more focused on how its research aids in the department's main strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via railway. The agency could enhance its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry, which is focused on research, policy and standard setting and has established a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping establish standards for the industry. FRA is interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy, a standard that will clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that would be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency would like to know the level of risk that the industry is assessing with fully automated operation, and if the industry is contemplating any additional safeguards to minimize that risk. Innovation Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety and improve business processes. efficient and help ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination safely. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight, to new railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency personnel to areas of accidents so that they can swiftly mitigate damage and minimize risk to people and property. Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most important innovations in rail. It can prevent train-to-train accidents, situations where trains are on track they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human error. This system is made up of three parts: onboard locomotive systems which track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive; and a huge server that gathers and analyzes data. Passenger railroads are also embracing technology to improve security and safety. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security staff in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in the event in an emergency. Amtrak is also investigating other ways to use drones, including deploying them to perform inspections of bridges and other infrastructure, like replacing the lights on railway towers, which could be dangerous for workers to climb. Other technologies that can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send a warning to drivers if it's unsafe to proceed. These technologies are especially useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized or other issues during the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are less witnesses to an accident. Telematics is yet another significant technological advancement in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other parties to track a traincar in real-time. These capabilities give railcar owners and crews better control and visibility. They can also aid in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in the delivery of freight to customers.