The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 departments that deal with intermodal transportation. Its mission is to enable the safe and secure movement of goods and people.

FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track signals, train control and track systems as well operating practices. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

Federal railroads are rail transporters in the United States controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) creates and enforces railway safety regulations, manages railway funding, and studies ways to improve the efficiency of 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 as well as the Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all passenger and freight transport that uses the railway system of the United States. The agency also coordinates 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 facilities such as tracks, rights-of-way, equipment, real property and rolling stock, and provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's responsibilities are to establish through regulation, Federal Employers’ following an notification and comment, a process by which anyone can submit a submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or shortcomings. Additionally, the FRA sets up policies and conducts inspections to assess the compliance with its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines that include track, signal and train control, motive power and equipment operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency has the responsibility of ensuring that the railway transportation system is operated in a safe, economic, and environmentally friendly manner. The agency also requires that railroads maintain a safe work environment and provide adequate training for their employees. Furthermore, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public is receiving fair prices for their transportation services.

In addition to that, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad workers, and protect whistleblowers from being retaliated against by railroad carriers. The agency also establishes a procedure by which railroad employees can file complaints regarding the company's actions.

The primary goal of the FRA is to ensure the secure reliable and efficient movement of people and goods to ensure a secure America, now and in the future. The FRA achieves this by controlling safety of railroads, coordinating programs for assistance to railroads and conducting research that supports better safety of railroads and national rail transportation policy, coordinating and supporting the development of rail networks, and helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were large monopolies that had no competition. The railroad industry was able to abuse its dominant position in the market as a result. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as along with other regulatory agencies, to curb the monopolies' exploitation of railroads.

Purpose

fela federal employers liability act railroads are government agencies that establish rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transportation in the United States. It is responsible for the rail infrastructure of the United States and supervises freight and passenger railroads. It is one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the existing rail systems.

Safety is the main responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has several divisions which oversee the country's freight and passenger railroad operations. The most important of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, with approximately 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections that determine compliance with the regulations in six technical disciplines: track signals, train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices as well as hazmat and highway rail grade crossings.

FRA has several departments, such as the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It oversees programs that are meant to improve freight and passenger rail transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department also is in charge of the grants that are made to help railways, and it works with other agencies in planning for the nation's rail needs.

The FRA also has a responsibility to enforce federal laws that pertain to railroads and their workers. This includes preventing railroads from discriminating against workers, and making sure that injured railway workers are transported to the nearest hospital for first aid treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical treatment for injured railway employees.

The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries, but there are other agencies that oversee the economic aspects of rail transport. The Surface Transportation Board, for example is responsible for setting rates and managing the economics of the industry. It is also the regulator for railroad mergers, line-sales, construction, and abandonment. After an open consultation period, the agency is also accountable for establishing regulations that permit anyone to report any alleged safety issues with rail.

Functions

Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in developed countries as and villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and final goods from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Rail is an essential mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities, including grain, oil, and coal. In 2020, freight rail moved 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, operations, sales and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales works with potential and existing customers as well as clients to determine the services they require and how much they should cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these needs at the lowest price possible to generate revenue for railroads. The executive department oversees the entire operation, ensuring that every department is running smoothly.

The government provides support to the railways in various ways including grants, to subsidised rates for government-owned transport. Congress also provides money to support and build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are usually in addition to the revenues the railroads earn from ticket sales and freight contracts.

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

The primary role of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains and the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on rail security to identify patterns and areas that require improvement or attention from the regulatory side and to track trends.

FRA also participates in other projects to improve the economy and safety of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency seeks to lower the obstacles that hinder railroads in the implementation of positive train control (PTC). PTC is a security technology that makes use of sensors and computers to stop a train automatically when it is too close to another object or vehicle.

History

The first railroads in the United States were built in the 1820s and 1830s largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads increased industrialization and brought more food items to market in these areas. This allowed the country become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports.

In the latter part of the 19th century, the railroad industry enjoyed an "Golden Age" in which new, more efficient raillines were constructed and passenger travel became popular. This was in large part due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance, the government provided land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to build the first transcontinental railway, which allowed passengers 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 decreased, and other modes of transport such as cars and planes gained in popularity. Meanwhile, stifling regulation made it difficult for railroads to compete. A string of bankruptcies, service cuts and deferred maintenance was the next step. In addition, a misguided railroad regulations from the federal government caused the decline of the industry.

In the year 1970, the federal government began loosening the regulations governing railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee 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 among the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation.

Since then, a large deal of investment has been made in the nation's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example, has been rebuilt to accommodate faster, more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. There are also efforts to create more efficient freight rail. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its partnership with all transportation agencies in order to ensure reliable and safe railroads. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transportation system is running as efficiently as it can.