celerylyre8
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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail provides rail funding and researches rail improvement strategies FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to determine which cases merit the lengthy and precise civil penalty process This allows them to ensure that the violations most deserving of punishment are penalized SMARTTD members and allies made history in 2024 by pushing the FRA to allow two people in the cabs of locomotives of freight trains The fight continues Safety The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to safeguard the health of employees as well as the public It is responsible for developing and enforcing rail safety regulations It also manages the funding for rail and studies rail improvement strategies and technological developments It also develops and implements a plan to ensure that current infrastructure services and capacity and strategically expands and improves the nations rail network The department requires all railroad employers to adhere to strict rules and regulations empower their workers and provide them with the tools to succeed and stay safe This includes participating in the confidential closecall reporting system setting up labormanagement occupational safety and health committees with fullunion participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the needed personal protective gear Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations of complaints of noncompliance Civil penalties are applied to those who break rail safety laws Safety inspectors from the agency are able to decide on the extent to which an incident falls within the statutory description of a criminal penaltyworthy act In addition the Office of Chief Counsels safety division examines all reports submitted from regional offices to determine their legal sufficiency before assessing penalties This discretion is exercised at both the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only applied in situations that warrant them To be convicted of a civil infringement the employee of a rail company must be aware of the rules and regulations governing their actions They must also be aware of and ignore these rules However fela railroad settlements does not take any person who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed a willful violation The agency defines general railroad system as the entire system that carries goods and passengers between cities and metropolitan areas The trackage of a plant railroad within the steelmill isnt considered to be part of the general rail transportation system even though it is physically connected Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations ranging from those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials The agency oversees rail finance including loans and grants to improve service and infrastructure The agency works with other DOT agencies and industry to develop strategies to improve the nations railway system This includes maintaining current rail services and infrastructure as well as making sure that there is enough capacity strategically expanding the network as well as coordinating regional and national systems planning and development The agency is responsible for freight transport but also oversees passenger transport The agency aims to connect people to the destinations they desire and offer more choices for travel The agency is focused primarily on improving the passengers experience and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently Railroads are required to abide with a range of federal regulations including those that deal with the size and composition of train crews This is an issue of contention in recent years with some states passing legislation that requires twoperson crews on trains This final rule defines federally the minimum size of crew requirements making sure that all railroads follow the same safety standards This law also requires that each railroad operating a oneperson crew notify FRA and submit a risk analysis This will allow FRA to better identify the specifics of each operation and compare them with the typical twoperson crew operation This rule also alters the criteria for reviewing an application for special approval to determine if an operation is consistent with railroad safety to determining if the operation is as secure or safer than twoperson crew operation During the public comment period for this rule a large number of people expressed support for the requirement of a twoperson crew A form letter sent by 29 individuals emphasized their concerns that a single crew member might not be as quick to respond to trainrelated malfunctions or crossing incidents or assist emergency response personnel at a highway rail grade crossing The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half railroad accidents and think that a bigger crew would help ensure the safety of both the train and the cargo it transports Technology Railroads that transport passengers and freight employ numerous technologies to enhance efficiency increase safety boost security and much more Rail industry jargon comprises many unique terms and acronyms Some of the most prominent include machine vision systems also known as drones instrumented railinspection systems driverless train rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles also called drones Technology doesnt just replace some jobs It empowers people to do their jobs better and with greater security Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards to boost passengership and boost the efficiency of their system Other developments like autonomous rail cars are moving closer to becoming reality The Federal Railroad Administration as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure secure reliable affordable and costeffective transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure This is a multibillion dollars effort that will see tunnels and bridges restored as well as tracks and power systems upgraded and stations rebuilt or upgraded The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically increase the agencys rail improvement programs The Office of Research Development and Technology of the agency is a crucial part of this effort The National Academies recent review of the office concluded that it excelled in keeping in touch with inputs from a variety of stakeholders It is still required to focus on how its research contributes to the departments primary goal of ensuring safe movement of people and goods via rail The agency could improve its efficiency by identifying and implementing automated train systems and technologies The Association of American Railroads the freight rail industrys primary business organization that is focused on research policy and standardization the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help in developing industry standards for implementing the technology FRA will be interested in the creation of an automated rail taxonomy a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and onroad transit vehicles The agency will also want to understand the level of safety risk that the industry believes is associated when implementing a fully automated system and whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to mitigate that risk Innovation Rail companies are embracing technology to improve worker safety increase efficiency in business processes and ensure that the cargo they transport arrives at its destination in good condition These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to new railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transport Some of these technologies provide a way for railroads to send emergency responders to locations of accidents so they can quickly mitigate the damage and minimize risk to property and people Positive Train Control PTC is one of the most important innovations in rail It can prevent traintotrain accidents situations when trains are in a position they shouldnt be and other accidents caused by human error The system is a threepart system comprised of locomotives onboard that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and an enormous backend server that analyzes and collects data Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to improve safety and security Amtrak is one example It is experimenting with the use of drones to help train security personnel locate passengers and items in the event of an emergency The company is also looking into different ways to use drones including deploying drones to inspect bridges as well as other infrastructure for example replacing the lighting on railway towers which can be dangerous for workers to climb Other technologies that can be used for passenger railroads include smart track technology which is able to detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and issue a warning to drivers if its unsafe for them to proceed These technologies are particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized or other issues in the evenings when the traffic is lower and there are fewer witnesses to an accident Telematics is a significant technological breakthrough in the rail industry It allows railways shippers and other parties to follow a traincars progress in realtime Crews and railcar operators can benefit from increased accountability and transparency which will allow them to improve efficiency avoid unnecessary maintenance and avoid delays when delivering freight