The Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT that are accountable for intermodal transportation. Its purpose is to ensure the safe and reliable transportation of goods and people.
FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track, train control and signal systems as well operating practices. They also investigate complaints.
Definition
Federal railroads are rail transporters in the United States controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, develops and enforces railway regulations as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve rail transportation. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division, and its top executives are the Administrator as well as the Deputy Administrator.
The agency oversees all freight and passenger transport that uses the nation's railway network. In addition the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates the government's support for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates ownership and operation of intermodal facilities, like tracks, rights of way, equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also manages federal rail transportation programs.
The FRA's responsibilities also include the establishment, through regulation and after an opportunity for comment an procedure that anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security issues or issues. The agency also establishes policies, conducts inspections, and reviews the compliance of its rail laws in six technical disciplines, which include track signals, track and train control as well as motive power and equipment; operating procedures; hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.
The agency is responsible of ensuring that the railway transportation system is operated in a secure, efficient and sustainable way. The agency also demands that railroads maintain a safe work environment and provide adequate training to their employees. Additionally, the agency establishes and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public gets fair prices for their transportation services.
Additionally the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees and also protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad carriers. The agency also has a procedure by which railroad employees can file complaints against the company's actions.
The main goal of the agency is to ensure the secure reliable and efficient movement of people and goods to ensure a secure America both now and in the future. The FRA achieves this by overseeing the regulation of rail safety, managing programs to assist railroads conducting research in support of better safety of railroads and national transportation policies as well as coordinating the development of rail networks and helping the private industry manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market with no competition. This meant that railroads often misused their position in the market. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as other regulatory agencies, to curb the monopolies' exploitation of railroads.
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 supervises passenger and freight railroads, and also manages the nation's railway infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding current railroad systems.
Security is the primary responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and it has several divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railroad operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of these 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 crossings.
FRA has additional departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This oversees the programs that aim to improve freight and passenger rail transportation, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. The department also is responsible for the grants that are given to railways and collaborates with other agencies to plan for the nation's rail needs.
Another essential duty of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws regarding railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminate against employees and ensuring that injured railway employees are transported to the nearest hospital for treatment. Additionally, railroads are prohibited from denying or delaying medical treatment to injured railway employees.
The FRA is the primary regulator of the passenger and freight rail industries, but there are other agencies that manage the economic aspects of rail transport. The Surface Transportation Board, for instance, is in charge of setting rates and managing the financial aspects of the industry. It has regulatory authority over railroad mergers, line sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of rules after a public input opportunity that allows anyone to report alleged rail safety violations to the agency.
Functions
Railroads carry people and goods between cities in the developed countries as and remote villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials from manufacturing and processing facilities, and finished goods from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Railroads are a vital mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, including coal, oil, and grains. In 2020, freight railroads moved more than a quarter of all freight volumes in the United States [PDF(PDF).
The federal railroad is managed just like other businesses. It has departments for marketing, operations, sale, and an executive department. The marketing and sales department works with current and potential customers to determine what kind of rail services they need and what those services should cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost possible to make money for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that each department is running efficiently.
The government provides support to the railways in a variety ways from grants to subsidised rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also offers funds to help build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are usually in addition to the revenues railroads receive from 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 a huge stockholder, which is the United States government.
A major purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical condition of trains, as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on rail security to identify patterns areas that require improvement or attention from the regulatory side and to determine trends.
In addition to these fundamental functions, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the security and economy of railroad transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA is working to remove obstacles that could hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety technology that utilizes sensors and computers on board to stop a train in the event that it is too close to another object or vehicle.
History
In the 1820s-1830s, the first railroads in America were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization in these areas, and also brought more food to the market. This allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent upon foreign imports, which contributed to a stronger economic base.
In the latter part of the 19th century, the railroad industry enjoyed the benefits of a "Golden Age" during which new, more efficient raillines were built and passenger transportation became popular. This was largely due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for example, gave homesteaders land grants in order to encourage them to move to the West. fela lawyer and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to build the first transcontinental railroad 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 declined, and other modes of transportation like planes and cars gained in popularity. However, stifling regulations stifled railroads' economic ability to compete. The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcies, service cuts, and deferred maintenance. In addition, a misguided federal railway regulations contributed to the decline of the railroad industry.
Around 1970, the federal government began to ease the regulatory burdens on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee economic aspects of the industry, such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established to set rules for safety in rail and is among the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation.
Since then, the railway infrastructure of the United States has seen a lot of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to create more efficient systems for freight rail. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure safe and reliable rails in the near future. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transport system operates as efficiently as is possible.