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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, rail funding and research on rail improvement strategies. FRA field inspectors make use of discretion to decide on which cases merit the precise and time-consuming civil penalty process. This ensures that those violations most deserving of punishment are penalized. SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be allowed in the cabs of freight locomotives. trains. The fight continues. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to protect the health of employees as well as the public. It formulates and enforces rail safety regulations, administers rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies and new technologies. It also creates and implements a strategy to ensure the current infrastructure, rail services and capacity, and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department requires all rail employers to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with the tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes taking part in the confidential close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational health and safety committees that have full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with needed personal protection equipment. FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of railway safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties may be imposed on those who violate railroad safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency are able to decide on the extent to which a particular violation meets the statutory definition of a criminal penalty-worthy act. The Office of Chief Counsel's safety division also scrutinizes all reports that regional offices submit to ensure that they are legal prior to imposing penalties. This discretion is exercised at both the regional and field levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in cases that warrant their use. To be guilty of a civil violation, a rail employee must know the rules and regulations governing their actions. They also must be aware that they ignore these rules. However the agency doesn't take any person who is acting under a direction by a supervisor as having committed an intentional violation. The agency defines “general railroad system” as the entire network that transports passengers and goods between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it's physically connected. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for establishing regulations for trains that pertain to safety and the transportation of hazardous substances. The agency oversees rail finance, including loans and grants to improve service and infrastructure. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail system. This includes maintaining existing rail infrastructure and services and making sure that there is enough capacity, strategically expanding the network, and coordinating regional and national systems planning and development. Although the majority of the agency's work focuses on freight transportation, it also handles passenger transportation. The agency is working to connect people to places they want and provide more options for travel. The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience, improving the safety of the existing fleet, and making sure that the railway system continues to function efficiently. Railroads are required to comply with a variety of federal regulations, which include those relating to the size and composition of the train crews. In recent times the issue has become a source of controversy. Certain states have passed legislation requiring two-person teams on trains. This final rule establishes federally the minimum crew size requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow the same safety standards. This also requires every railroad that operates one-person train crews to inform FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the normal two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the standard for reviewing a special approval request to determine if an operation is “consistent” with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is safer or more secure than a two-person crew operation. During the period of public comment for this rule, a number of people expressed their support for a requirement of a two person crew. In a form letter, 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crewmember would not be able to respond as quickly to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency personnel on the highway-rail level crossing. The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half railroad accidents and they think that a bigger crew could help ensure the safety of both the train and its cargo. Technology Trains for passenger and freight use different technologies to improve efficiency, enhance security, and improve safety. The rail industry vernacular includes a variety of specific terms and acronyms, but some of the most significant developments include machine vision systems, instrumentsed rail inspection systems, driverless trains rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly called drones). Technology isn't just replacing some jobs, it's also empowering individuals to perform their work more efficiently and with greater security. Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards in order to increase passengership and boost the efficiency of their system. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are getting closer to becoming reality. As part of its ongoing efforts to advance secure, reliable and affordable transportation for the nation, the Federal Railroad Administration is focused on modernizing its rail infrastructure. This is a multi-billion-dollar project that will see tunnels and bridges restored tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded, and stations rebuilt or upgraded. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically increase the agency's rail improvement programs. The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential element in this effort. Recent National Academies review of the office found that it excelled in engaging in a continuous dialogue and utilizing the inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. But it still needs to concentrate on how its research helps the department achieve its primary strategic goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods by rail. One area where the agency could be able improve its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the development of automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) is the main industry association for the freight rail industry, which focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy created the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to help develop standards within the industry. fela settlements will be interested in the group's development of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency will also want to understand the level of safety risk that the industry sees with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering additional security measures to reduce the risk. Innovation Rail companies are adopting new technologies to increase worker safety, improve efficiency in business processes, and ensure that the freight they transport is delivered in good condition. Examples of such technological advancement include the use of sensors and cameras to monitor freight, to new railcar designs that help keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to reduce the risk and minimize damage to property and people. One of the most renowned innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent collisions between trains and train, situations where trains are on tracks that shouldn't be and other accidents resulting from human error. This system is a three-part system comprised of locomotives onboard that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and a huge backend server that gathers and analyzes data. Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to bolster safety and security. Amtrak is one example. It is experimenting with the use of drones to assist security personnel on trains locate passengers and items in an emergency. The company is also exploring different ways to use drones, including deploying them to perform inspections of bridges as well as other infrastructure, for example, replacing the lights on railway towers, which can be hazardous for workers to climb. Other technologies that can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology that can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send out drivers with a warning if it's unsafe for them to proceed. These kinds of technologies are particularly valuable for detecting unauthorized crossings and other issues during times when traffic volumes are lowest and fewer people are around to witness an accident. Another important technological breakthrough in the rail industry is telematics, which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to see a traincar's status and condition through real-time tracking. These capabilities give railcar owners and their crews more accountability and transparency and help them improve efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance, and prevent delays in delivering freight to customers.