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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of DOT that are responsible for intermodal transportation Its purpose is to ensure the safe and reliable movement of people and goods FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad tracks signals and train control systems as well as operating procedures They also investigate complaints Definition Federal railroads are rail transporters in the United States controlled by the federal government The Federal Railroad Administration FRA is responsible for the creation and enforcement of railway safety regulations administers funds for railroads and investigates ways to improve rail transportation systems The FRA is one of the 10 agencies of the US Department of Transportation that are concerned with intermodal transportation Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator The agency oversees all freight and passenger transportation that uses the nations railway network In addition the agency also supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates the governments support for rail transportation activities The agency also regulates the ownership and operation of intermodal facilities such as tracks right of way equipment real estate and rolling stock It also manages federal rail transportation programs The FRAs duties include establishing through regulation after opportunity for notice and comment the procedure by which any person may submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or inconsistencies In addition the agency sets up policies and conducts inspections to assess the compliance of its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines that include track signal and train control motive power and machinery operating practices hazmat and highwayrail grade crossings The agency is responsible of ensuring that the railroad transportation system operates in a secure efficient and sustainable way The agency also requires that railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide adequate training for their employees Additionally the agency establishes and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public is receiving a fair rate for their transportation services The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees The agency also safeguards whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad companies The agency also sets up a procedure for railroad employees to make complaints about the companys conduct The main goal of the FRA is to ensure secure reliable and efficient movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America today and in the future The FRA accomplishes this through regulating rail safety managing programs to assist railroads conducting research in support of better safety of railroads and national transportation policy coordinating rail networking development and assisting private companies manage railroads In the past railroads were dominant in the market with very little competition As a result the industry frequently abused its position in the market Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission as well as other regulatory agencies to curb the monopolies exploitation of railroads Purpose Federal railroads are government institutions that make regulations manage rail funds and conduct research to improve rail transport in the United States It operates the railway infrastructure of the United States and oversees passenger and freight railroads It is one of ten agencies within the US Department of Transportation It is also tasked with maintaining and expanding current railway systems ensuring capacity of the rail industry to meet increasing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning 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 responsible for overseeing the countrys freight and passenger rail operations The largest of these is the Office of Railroad Safety with around 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections that determine compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines that include track signal and train control motive power and equipment operating practices as well as hazmat and highway rail grade crossings FRA has other departments including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development This oversees the programs that aim to improve freight and passenger rail transportation including the Northeast Corridor Future This department is also responsible for the grants that are made to railways and collaborates with other agencies to develop plans for the nations rail requirements The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws that pertain to railroads and workers This includes preventing railroads from discriminating against employees and ensuring that injured railway workers are provided with transportation to the nearest hospital for initial aid treatment Railroads are also prohibited from delay or refuse medical treatment for injured railway workers The FRA is the primary regulator of the freight and passenger rail industry however other agencies oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation Surface Transportation Board is responsible for establishing rates and managing the economics of the industry It has regulatory authority over mergers in the railroad industry and line sales construction and abandonment Other responsibilities include the establishment of rules after a public input opportunity by which anyone may submit complaints about rail safety violations to the agency Functions Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as also to villages in countries that are less developed They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories and the finished products from these factories to warehouses and stores Railroads are a vital mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities including coal oil and grains In 2020 freight railroads carried more than a quarter of all freight volumes in the United America PDFPDF Federal railroads function like any other business with departments for marketing and operations sales and an executive department The department for marketing and sales works with current and potential customers to determine the type of rail services they need 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 is responsible for the entire operation making sure every department is operating efficiently The government provides support to railways by a variety of ways that include grants and subsidized rates on governmentowned traffic Congress also provides funds to support and build new tracks and stations These subsidy funds are often added to the revenue that railroads receive through tickets and freight contracts Amtrak is owned by the United States government It is a quasi public forprofit corporation with the United States Government as a major stockholder A key role of the Federal Railroad Administration FRA is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains and the health and safety of railroad employees FRA also collects data about rail security to identify patterns areas that require improvement or regulatory attention and to determine trends In addition to these fundamental duties FRA works on various other projects related to improving the economy and security of railroad transportation in the United States For example the agency aims to reduce barriers that could hinder railroads introduction of positive train control systems PTC PTC is an emergency safety system that utilizes sensors and onboard computers to stop the train automatically when it is too close to another vehicle or other object History The first railroads in the United States were built in the 1820s and 1830s largely in New England and the MidAtlantic states Railroads helped speed up industrialization and brought more food items to market in these areas This helped the country to become more independent and less dependent on imports from abroad which in turn contributed to a stronger economic base In the late nineteenth century the railroad industry went through an Golden Age during which many new more efficient rail lines were constructed and passenger travel via train became more popular The governments efforts in expanding the railroad system was a major reason For instance the government granted land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to move to the West Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to construct the first transcontinental railroad which allowed passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days In the first half century however the demand for passenger rail services declined and other modes of transportation such as cars and planes became more popular In the meantime the stifling of regulation made it difficult for railroads to compete The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcy as well as service cuts and delayed maintenance Uninformed federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline Around the year 1970 the federal government began to loosen the regulatory restrictions on railroads fela claims was established to oversee the economic aspects of the industry such as railroad rates and mergers The Federal Railroad Administration was also created which sets rail safety regulations and is one of the 10 agencies in the US Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation Since then a large amount of investment has been made in the countrys railroad infrastructure The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance to accommodate faster and more modern highspeed ground transportation HSGT Efforts have also been made to develop more efficient freight rail systems In the future FRA hopes to continue its relationship with all transportation agencies in order to ensure reliable and safe railroads It is the agencys job to help make sure that the transportation system of the United States operates as efficiently as it can