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 secure and reliable transportation of people and goods.

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

Definition

A federal railroad is a railway in the United States that is controlled by the government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) establishes and enforces safety regulations, manages railway funding, and studies ways to improve rail transportation systems. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency supervises all freight and passenger transport that is conducted through the nation's rail network. In addition the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation. In addition, the agency oversees the operation and ownership of all intermodal facilities such as tracks, right-of-way equipment, real property and rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal employers liability rail transportation programs.

FRA's responsibilities include establishing through regulation, Fela Claims railroad employees following an opportunity for notice and comment an avenue through which any person may report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or shortcomings. The agency also establishes policies, conducts inspections and evaluates the compliance with its rail laws in six technical disciplines, including track signals, track and train control locomotive power and equipment; operating procedures hazardous materials and highway-rail grade intersections.

The agency has the responsibility of ensuring that the railroad transportation system is operated in a secure, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner. The agency also requires that railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide adequate training to their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is billed fairly for transportation services.

In addition, 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 establishes a complaint procedure for railroad employees to make complaints about the company's conduct.

The agency's primary mission is to ensure the secure efficient, reliable, and secure movement of goods and people to build a stronger America today and into the future. The FRA accomplishes this through controlling safety of railroads, coordinating railroad assistance programs, conducting research to support the improvement of safety for railroads and national rail transportation policy and coordination, as well as supporting the development of a rail network and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were dominant in the market, with very little competition. This meant that railroads often misused their position in the market. Hence, Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent abuses by railroad monopolies.

Purpose

Federal railroads are government-owned institutions that make rules, regulate rail funds and conduct research to improve the rail system in the United America. It oversees both freight and passenger railroads, and also manages the nation's railway infrastructure. It is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also tasked with maintaining and expanding current railway systems, ensuring capacity of the rail industry to meet growing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning.

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

FRA has additional departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department is responsible for programs aimed at enhancing passenger and freight rail transport, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. The department is also responsible for the grants that help railways, and it works with other agencies in planning for the nation's rail needs.

Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminate against employees and making sure that injured railway employees are taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from delay or deny medical treatment for injured railway workers.

The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger rail industry, but other agencies manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for establishing rates and managing economics in the industry. It is the regulatory authority for railroad mergers, line-sales, construction, and abandonment. After a period of public consultation, the agency is also accountable for establishing regulations that will allow anyone to file a complaint about any alleged rail safety violations.

Functions

Railroads transport goods and people to and from cities in developed nations as also remote villages in less-developed countries. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing plants, and finished products from these facilities to stores and warehouses. Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities, including grain, oil and coal. In 2020, freight railroads transported more than a quarter of all freight volumes in the United America [PDF(PDF).

A federal railroad operates like any other business with departments for marketing and operations, sales and an executive department. The marketing and sales department works with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they need and the amount they should cost. The operations department then creates the rail services that satisfy those requirements at the cheapest cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and ensures that each department is running efficiently.

The government provides support to railways with a variety means, including grants and subsidized rates on government traffic. Congress also provides funds to build 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.

A key role of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical conditions of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes data on rail safety to identify trends and areas that require more or better regulatory attention.

In addition to these primary duties, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the economy and security of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA seeks to eliminate obstacles that could hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a security technology that utilizes sensors and computers to stop a train in the event that it is too close to an vehicle or object.

History

In the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in the United States were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads accelerated industrialization and brought more food items to the market in these regions. This development allowed the country to become more independent and less dependent on foreign imports, which helped to foster a strong economic base.

In the late nineteenth century the railroad industry went through a "Golden Age," during which many new trains that were more efficient were constructed and passenger travel on train became increasingly popular. The government's efforts in expanding the railroad system were a major reason. For example the government provided homesteaders grants of land to encourage them to settle in the West and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads worked together to complete the first transcontinental railroad which enabled travel from New York to San Francisco in just six days.

In the first half century however the demand for rail passenger services declined, and other modes of transport such as cars and planes became more popular. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation hindered railroads' ability to compete. The industry was plagued by a series of bankruptcies, service cuts, and deferred maintenance. Additionally, a misguided federal railway regulation caused the decline of the railroad industry.

Around the year 1970 the federal government started to loosen the regulatory burdens on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic issues like railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which supervises freight and passenger transportation and sets standards for rail safety was also established.

Since then, the railway infrastructure of the United States has seen a lot of investment. The Northeast Corridor, for example, has been rebuilt to accommodate more efficient, faster and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. There are also efforts to develop more efficient freight rail. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its partnership with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe railroads. It is the agency's job to ensure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as possible.