The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies that deal with intermodal transportation. Its purpose is to ensure safe and reliable transportation of people and goods.

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

Definition

A federal railroad is a rail carrier in the United States that is controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations for railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve railway transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies of 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 is responsible for all passenger and freight transport that utilizes the railway system of the United States. Additionally the agency supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates support from the federal government for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates the ownership and operation of intermodal facilities like tracks, rights of way, equipment, real estate, and rolling stock. It also oversees federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's responsibilities are to establish through regulation, after notice and comments are allowed the procedure by which anyone can submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or deficiencies. In addition, the agency creates policies and conducts inspections in order to evaluate the compliance with its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines tracks signals and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency has the responsibility to make sure the rail transportation system is safe, economical and sustainable. This is why the agency requires railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide appropriate training for their employees. Furthermore, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public receives a fair rate for their transportation services.

In addition the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad workers, as well as protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad carriers. The agency also establishes a procedure for railroad employees to file complaints about the conduct of the company.

The agency's primary mission is to enable the secure, reliable, and efficient movement of goods and people to build a stronger America both now and federal Employers’ liability in the future. The FRA accomplishes this by overseeing the regulation of rail safety, managing railroad assistance programmes and conducting research to support improved railroad safety and national transportation policy and coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting private companies manage railroads. In the past, railroads were dominant in the market with no competition. As a result, railroads often misused their position in the marketplace. This is why Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to curb abuses by railroad monopolies.

Purpose

Federal railroads are government agencies that establish regulations, manage rail funds and conduct research to improve rail transportation in the United America. It oversees both passenger and freight railroads, and manages the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the current rail systems.

The primary responsibility of the government in the railway industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a variety of divisions that oversee the country's freight and passenger railroad operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of these with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track signal, and train control, motive and equipment operating procedures, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crosses.

FRA has several departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This oversees the programs that are meant to improve passenger and freight railway transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies to plan the nation's railway requirements.

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

The FRA is the main regulator of the rail passenger and freight industry, however other agencies manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for setting rates and managing economics in the industry. It is also responsible for regulating mergers in the railroad industry, line sales construction, and abandonment. After an open consultation period the agency is accountable for establishing regulations that allow anyone to file a complaint about any alleged safety issues with rail.

Functions

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

federal employers liability railroads operate as a business just like other businesses, with departments for marketing and sales, operations and an executive department. The marketing and sales department works with potential and existing customers as well as clients to determine the services they require and what they will cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost possible to earn money for railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation, ensuring that every department is operating 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 stations and tracks. These subsidies are usually in addition to the earnings railroads receive from ticket sales and freight contracts.

In the United States, the government is the owner of the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for-profit company with a huge stockholder that is the United States government.

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) primary task is to formulate and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains, as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes data on rail safety to identify patterns and areas that might require more or better regulation.

In addition to these core duties, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the economy and security of railroad transportation in the United States. For example, the agency is working to remove obstacles that could hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is an emergency safety system that utilizes sensors and computers on board to automatically stop the train when it is too close to a vehicle or other 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 accelerated industrialization and brought more food products to markets in these regions. This development allowed the country to become more independent and less dependent on imports from abroad, which in turn resulted in a solid economic base.

In the 19th century's final years the railroad industry enjoyed the benefits of a "Golden Age" that saw new, more efficient raillines were built and passenger travel became popular. This was in large part due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for instance provided land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to build 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, demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other modes of transportation such as automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while the stifling of regulations choked railroads competitiveness economically. The industry was plagued by a series of bankruptcies service cuts, bankruptcy, and delayed maintenance. In addition, misguided federal railway regulations contributed to the decline of the industry.

In the year 1970, the federal government began to loosen the regulations governing railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee the economic aspects of the industry such as mergers and railroad rates. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established to set standards for rail safety and is one of the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation.

Since then, the railway infrastructure of the United America has seen a great deal of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There are also efforts to develop more efficient systems for freight rail. FRA hopes to continue to work with all transportation agencies to ensure the safety and reliability of rails in the near future. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transportation system runs as efficiently as it can.