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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOTs 10 departments involved in intermodal transportation Its mission is enabling the secure and efficient transportation of people and goods FRA field inspectors regularly check railroad track signal and train control systems as well as operating practices They also investigate complaints Definition Federal railroads are the rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government Federal Railroad Administration FRA is part of the US Department of Transportation formulates and enforces regulations governing railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation The FRA is part of the US Department of Transportations intermodal transportation division and its top executives are the Administrator as well as the Deputy Administrator The agency oversees all freight and passenger transportation that utilizes the nations railway network The agency also consolidates government funding for rail transportation and supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service Additionally the agency oversees the operation and ownership of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks rightsofway equipment and real property as well as rolling stock and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs FRAs duties also include establishing through regulation and after an opportunity to comment a procedure by which anyone can inform the Secretary of Homeland Security any railroad security issues or issues In addition the agency sets up policies and conducts inspections to assess compliance with its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines track signal and train control motive power and equipment operating practices hazmat and highwayrail grade crossings The agency is tasked with the responsibility to make sure the railroad transportation system is secure economical and environmentally friendly This is why the agency requires railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide the appropriate training to their employees The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is billed fairly for transportation services Additionally to that the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad employees and protect whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies The agency also has a procedure for railroad employees to file complaints about the companys conduct The agencys main mission is to ensure the secure reliable and efficient movement of goods and people for a stronger America now and in future The FRA achieves this by regulating railroad safety managing programs for assistance to railroads conducting research to help the improvement of safety for railroads and national rail transportation policies as well as coordinating and assisting with the development of rail networks as well as helping the private sector manage railroads In the past railroads controlled the market with very little competition In the end railroads often misused their position in the market Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission as and other regulatory agencies to control railroad monopolies abuses Purpose Federal railroads are governmentowned agencies that set rules regulate rail funds and conduct research to improve rail transportation in the United States It is responsible for the railroad infrastructure of the United States and manages passenger and freight railroads It is one of 10 agencies within the US Department of Transportation fela railroad accident lawyer is also responsible for maintaining and expanding current railway systems The governments primary responsibility in the field of rail transportation is safety The Federal Railroad Administration FRA is in charge of this and has several divisions responsible for overseeing the countrys freight and passenger 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 as well as motive and equipment operating procedures hazmat and highwayrail grade crosses FRA has several departments including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development This oversees the programs designed to improve freight and passenger rail transportation including the Northeast Corridor Future This department is also responsible for grants that are made to help railways and it works with other agencies in planning for the nations rail requirements Another essential duty of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws that pertain to railroads and their employees This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against workers and ensuring that all injured railway staff are transported to the nearest hospital for treatment It also prohibits railroads to delay or refuse medical treatment for injured railway workers The FRA is the primary regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries but there are other agencies that manage the economic aspects of rail transport The Surface Transportation Board for example is responsible for setting rates and governing the economics of the sector It is also responsible for regulating mergers in the railroad industry and line sales construction and abandonment Other responsibilities include establishing a process through regulations following an opportunity for public input by which anyone may submit complaints about rail safety violations to the agency Functions Railroads transport goods and people between cities in the developed countries as well as remote villages in lessdeveloped countries They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories and the finished products from these facilities to warehouses and stores Railroads are a critical form of transportation for a variety of essential commodities such as coal oil and grains In 2020 freight rail moved more than a quarter of countrys total freight volume PDFPDF The federal railroad is run just like other businesses It has departments for marketing and operations sales and an executive department The department of marketing and sales works with potential and current customers to determine the 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 lowest cost possible to make money for railroads The executive department oversees the entire operation making sure each department is functioning efficiently The government provides support to railways through a variety of methods including grants and subsidized rates on government traffic Congress also provides funds to support and build new stations and tracks These subsidies are usually in addition to the earnings railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts In the United States the government is the owner of the passenger railway Amtrak It is a quasipublic forprofit company with the United States Government as a major stockholder The Federal Railroad Administrations FRA principal function is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads This includes regulating the mechanical properties of trains as well as the safety and health of railroad employees FRA also collects data on security of rail lines to identify trends areas that need improvement or regulatory attention and to identify trends FRA also works on other projects that help improve the safety and efficiency of rail transportation in the United States For example the agency seeks to eliminate obstacles that could hinder railroads implementation of positive train control systems PTC PTC is a safety system that utilizes sensors and computers to stop a train in the event that it is too close to another vehicle or object History In the 1820s1830s the first railroads in America were built primarily in New England and MidAtlantic The railroads accelerated industrialization and brought more food products to market in these areas This allowed the country become more selfsufficient and less dependent on imports In the latter part of the 19th century the railroad industry enjoyed an Golden Age in which new more efficient rail lines were built and passenger transportation became popular The governments efforts to expand the railroad system were an important reason For instance the government offered land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to move to the West and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads collaborated to build the first transcontinental railroad which made it possible to travel from New York to San Francisco in just six days However in the first half of the 20th century demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other modes of transport like automobiles and planes gained in popularity while the stifling of regulations choked railroads ability to compete economically The industry was plagued by a series of bankruptcies service cuts bankruptcy and deferred maintenance Uninformed federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline Around 1970 federal government began to loosen the restrictions on railroads regulatory requirements The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee economic aspects of the industry such as mergers and rates for railroads The Federal Railroad Administration which regulates freight and passenger transport and sets standards for rail safety was also established Since then the infrastructure of the railroads of the United America has seen a great deal of investment The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance to accommodate more efficient and modern highspeed ground transportation HSGT There have also been efforts to create more efficient freight rail systems In the future FRA hopes to continue its collaboration with all transportation agencies to ensure the safety and reliability of railroads It is the agencys job to ensure that the transportation system of the United States operates as efficiently as it can