The Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT that are responsible for intermodal transportation. Its purpose is to ensure secure and reliable transportation of people and goods.
FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad track, signal and train control systems as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints.
Definition
A federal railroad is a rail carrier in the United States that is controlled by the government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) creates and enforces railway safety regulations, administers funds for railroads, and investigates ways to improve the efficiency of rail transportation systems. The FRA is part of the U.S. fela lawsuits of Transportation's intermodal transportation division and its top executives are the Administrator as well as the Deputy Administrator.
The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger 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 government support for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates ownership and operation of intermodal facilities including tracks, right of way, equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also oversees federal rail transportation programs.
FRA's responsibilities include establishing through regulation, following an notification and comment an avenue through which anyone can submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or inconsistencies. The agency also establishes policies, conducts inspections, and evaluates the compliance with its rail laws in six different technical disciplines, including track, signal, and train control as well as motive power and equipment; operating procedures as well as hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.
The agency is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the railroad transportation system is safe, efficient and sustainable. As a result, the agency requires railroads to maintain an environment that is safe for workers and provide adequate 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.
The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination towards railroad employees. They also shield whistleblowers against retaliation from railroad carriers. The agency also establishes a procedure by which railroad employees can make complaints about the actions of the company.
The primary goal of the FRA is to enable the safe reliable and efficient movement of goods and people for a strong America today and into the future. The FRA achieves this by overseeing the safety of railroads, regulating railroad assistance programs and conducting research that supports improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policies as well as coordinating and assisting with the development of rail networks, and helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies, with no competition. The railroad industry abused its dominant position in the market as a result. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as other regulatory agencies, to curb railroad monopolies' abuses.
Purpose
The federal railroad is a federal agency that makes rules, oversees funds for rail and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It manages the railway infrastructure of the United States and supervises freight and passenger railroads. It is one of 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding current rail systems, ensuring the capacity of the rail industry to meet increasing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning.
Security is the primary 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 railway operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest with a staff of around 350. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track, signalling, train control, motive and equipment operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crosses.
FRA has several departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs that aim at enhancing passenger and freight rail transport, such as 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 that pertain to railroads and workers. This includes stopping railroads from discriminating against employees and ensuring that all railway employees injured are provided with transportation to the nearest hospital for initial aid treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from delay or refuse medical treatment for injured railway workers.
The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger rail industry, but other organizations oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for example is responsible for setting rates and governing the economics of the sector. It has regulatory authority over mergers in the railroad industry lines sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of regulations after opportunity for public input and participation, where anyone can complain about alleged safety violations to the agency.
Functions
Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as and villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials from manufacturing and processing facilities, and finished goods from these facilities to stores or warehouses. Railroads are a vital mode of transportation for many essential commodities, such as coal, oil, and grains. In 2020, freight rail carried more than a quarter of the nation's total freight volume [PDF].
The federal railroad is managed just like other businesses. It has departments for marketing and sale, operations, and an executive department. The marketing and sales department works with potential and current customers to determine the type of rail services they need and the amount they should cost. The operations department then creates rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest cost possible to make money for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation, ensuring that every department is running smoothly.
The government provides support to the railways in a variety of ways from grants to subsidised rates for government-owned transport. Congress also provides funds to support and build new tracks and stations. These subsidies are often a part of the revenues that railroads receive through 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 corporation, with 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 state of trains, as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on rail security to identify patterns and areas that require improvement or regulatory attention and to track trends.
FRA also works on other projects that improve the safety and efficiency of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA, aims to reduce the obstacles that hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and computers to stop a train automatically when it is too close to another object or vehicle.
History
In the 1820s-1830s, the first railroads in America were built, primarily in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization in these areas, and also brought more food products to the market. This allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on foreign imports, which contributed to a stronger economic base.
In the 19th century's final years, the railroad industry enjoyed the benefits of a "Golden Age" in which 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 example granted homesteaders land grants to encourage them to move to the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also partnered to build the first transcontinental railway, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.
In the first half century, however the demand for rail passenger services decreased, and other modes of transportation such as cars and planes gained in popularity. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation hindered railroads' ability to compete. A series of bankruptcies and service cuts, and deferred maintenance was the next step. In addition, a misguided railroad regulations from the federal government caused the demise of the industry.
Around the year 1970, the federal government began to loosen the regulatory burdens on 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 among the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation which oversees passenger and freight transportation.
Since then, a significant amount of money has been made in the country's railroad infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). The effort has also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the future. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transport system operates as efficiently as it can.