The Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 departments involved in intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and secure movement of people and goods.
FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad track, signal and train control systems, as and 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 governing railways and regulates funds for railroads, and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. 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 supervises all freight and passenger transport that utilizes the nation's railway network. In addition the agency supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. Moreover, the agency regulates the management and ownership of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks, right-of-way, equipment and real property as well as rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.
FRA's responsibilities include establishing through regulation, following an opportunity for notice and comment, a process by anyone can report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or deficiencies. In addition, the agency establishes policies and conducts inspections to determine compliance with its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines: track signal and train control, motive power and equipment operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.
The agency is in charge of making sure that the railroad transportation system is operating in a safe, economic, and environmentally friendly manner. In turn, the agency requires railroads to provide the safety of their workers and provide the appropriate training to their employees. In addition, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public gets a fair rate for their transportation services.
Additionally, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad employees as well as protects whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad carriers. The agency also sets up an avenue for railroad employees to file complaints about the conduct of the company.
The main goal of the agency is to facilitate the secure, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods to build a stronger America both now and in the future. The FRA achieves this by overseeing the safety of railroads, regulating railroad assistance programs conducting research to help improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policies and coordination, as well as supporting the development of a rail network as well as helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market with no competition. In the end, the industry often abused its position in the marketplace. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as along with other regulatory agencies to control railroad monopolies' abuses.
Purpose
Federal railroads are government institutions that make rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transport in the United States. It operates the railway infrastructure of the United States and manages freight and passenger railroads. It is one of the ten agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding existing rail systems, as well as ensuring the ability of the rail industry to meet increasing travel and freight demands and providing leadership in regional and national system planning.
Security is the primary responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and it has several divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The most important of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, with about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections to determine the compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines: track signals, train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.
FRA has several departments, such as the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs that aim to improve 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 determine the nation's rail requirements.
Another essential duty of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws regarding railroads and their employees. This includes stopping railroads from using their power to discriminate against workers and making sure that railway workers injured are taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. Railroads are also prohibited from delay or deny medical treatment for injured railway workers.
The FRA is the primary regulator of the passenger and freight rail industry, however other agencies manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for example, is in charge of setting rates and managing the economics of the industry. It has regulatory authority on railroad mergers, line sales, construction, and abandonment. After an open consultation period the agency is accountable for establishing regulations that allow anyone to report any alleged safety issues with rail.
Functions
Railroads transport people and goods between cities in developed nations as and remote villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and finished products from these facilities to stores or warehouses. Railroads are a vital mode of transportation for many vital commodities, including coal, oil, and grains. In 2020, freight railroads moved more than a quarter of the freight in the United States [PDF].
The federal railroad is run just like other businesses. It has departments for marketing and operations, sale and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales collaborates with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they require and what those services should cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these needs at the cheapest cost to make money for railroads. The executive department oversees the entire operation and ensures that each department is running efficiently.
The government supports the railways with a variety means that include grants and subsidized rates for government-owned traffic. Congress also provides funds to help construct new tracks and stations. These subsidy funds are often added to the money that railroads earn through tickets 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 a significant shareholder that is the United States government.
fela lawyer 's (FRA) principal purpose is to create and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical properties of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on security of rail lines to identify trends and areas that require improvement or attention from regulators and to track trends.
FRA also participates in other projects to improve the safety and economy of rail transportation in the United States. The agency, for example is working to eliminate obstacles that can hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that makes use of sensors and computers on board to automatically stop the train when it is too close to a vehicle or object.
History
In the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in America were built, primarily in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads greatly accelerated industrialization in those areas and also brought more food items to the market. This allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent upon imports from abroad, which resulted in a solid economic base.
In the 19th century's final years, the railroad industry enjoyed a "Golden Age" that saw new, more efficient raillines were constructed and passenger travel became popular. This was largely due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For example, the government gave homesteaders land grants to encourage them to move to the West, and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads worked together to complete the first transcontinental railroad, which made it possible to travel from New York to San Francisco in six days.
In the first half century however, the demand for rail passenger services dwindled, while other modes of transportation like planes and cars increased in popularity. However, stifling regulations hindered railroads' ability to compete. A series of bankruptcies, service cuts and deferred maintenance followed. Misguided federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline.
In the year 1970, the federal government began to ease the regulatory shackles on 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, which is responsible for establishing rules for safety in rail and is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation.
Since then, the railroad infrastructure of the United States has seen a significant amount of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There are also efforts to develop more efficient systems for freight rail. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its relationship with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe railroads. FRA's mission is to ensure that the nation's transport system operates as efficiently as is possible.