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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOTs 10 departments concerned with intermodal transportation Its purpose is to ensure safe and reliable transportation of both people and goods FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track train control and signal systems as well as operating procedures fela claims investigate complaints Definition A federal railroad is a railway in the United States that is controlled by the government Federal Railroad Administration FRA is part of the US Department of Transportation develops and enforces regulations for railways and regulates funds for railroads and conducts research to improve rail transportation The FRA is one of 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 is conducted through the nations rail network Additionally the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation Moreover the agency regulates the management and ownership of all intermodal facilities such as tracks rightsofway equipment real property and rolling stock and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs FRAs responsibilities also include establishing through regulation and following an opportunity for comment the procedure through which anyone can inform the Secretary of Homeland Security any railroad security issues or deficiencies The agency also establishes guidelines conducts inspections and assesses the compliance of its rail laws in six technical disciplines including track signal track and train control motive power and equipment operating practices hazmat and highwayrail grade intersections The agency is charged with the responsibility of making sure the rail transportation system is safe efficient and environmentally sustainable This is why the agency requires railroads to ensure a safe working environment and provide adequate training for their employees The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is charged fairly for transportation services The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination against railroad employees They also shield whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad companies The agency also sets up a complaint procedure for railroad employees to submit complaints about the conduct of the company The main goal of the FRA is to ensure secure reliable and efficient transportation of people and goods for a strong America now and in future The FRA accomplishes this through controlling safety of railroads coordinating railroad assistance programs conducting research to help the improvement of safety for railroads and national rail transportation policy 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 very little competition In the end railroads often misused their position in the market Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission as and other regulatory agencies to control railroad monopolies abuses Purpose Federal railroads are federal agencies that set rules regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transport in the United States It is responsible for both freight and passenger railroads and also manages the nations railway infrastructure It is one of ten agencies that are part of the US Department of Transportation It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the existing rail systems Security is the primary responsibility in rail transportation The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this It has a number of divisions that supervise the countrys passenger and freight railroad operations The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of them with approximately 350 inspectors It is responsible for conducting safety inspections in six different technical disciplines including track signalling train control equipment and motives operating procedures hazmat and highwayrail grade crossings FRA has various 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 responsible for granting grants given to railways and works with other agencies in order to determine the nations rail requirements The FRA also has a responsibility to enforce federal laws related to railroads and workers This includes preventing railroads from discriminating against workers and ensuring that all injured railway employees are transported to the nearest hospital for first aid treatment Additionally railroads are prohibited from denying or delaying medical care to injured railway workers The FRA is the primary regulator of the passenger and freight rail industry but other organizations oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation The Surface Transportation Board for example is in charge of setting rates and managing the financial aspects of the industry It is also responsible for regulating railroad mergers lines sales construction and abandonment Other responsibilities include establishing rules following an opportunity for public input and participation where anyone can report alleged rail safety violations to the agency Functions Railroads transport people and goods to and from cities in developed nations as also remote villages in countries that are less developed They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing plants and finished products from these factories to warehouses and stores Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities including oil grains and coal In 2020 freight rail carried more than a quarter of nations total freight volume PDFPDF Federal railroads function just like any other company with departments for marketing operations sales and an executive department The department for marketing and sales consults with customers and potential clients to determine the services they need and what they will cost The operations department then produces rail services that meet these needs at the lowest price possible to make money for railroads The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that each department is running efficiently The government supports the railways through a variety of ways such as grants and subsidised rates on governmentowned traffic Congress also provides money to help build and maintain new tracks and stations These subsidies are often a part of the revenue that railroads receive through ticket sales and freight contracts In the United States the government owns the passenger railway Amtrak It is a quasipublic for profit corporation with a large shareholder that is the United States government The Federal Railroad Administrations FRA principal purpose is to create and enforce safety regulations for railroads This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains as well as the health and safety of railroad employees FRA also collects data on security of rail lines to identify trends areas that need improvement or regulatory attention and to determine trends In addition to these fundamental functions FRA works on various other projects that aim to improve the economy and security of railroad transportation in the United States For instance FRA seeks to eliminate obstacles that could hinder railroads implementation of positive train control systems PTC PTC is a safety system that makes use of sensors and computers on board to stop the train when it gets 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 The railroads accelerated industrialization and brought more food to markets in these regions This helped the country to become more independent and less dependent on foreign imports which helped to foster a strong economic base In the latter half of the nineteenth century the railroad industry experienced an Golden Age during which many new more efficient rail lines were constructed and passenger travel on train became more popular This was in large part because of the governments efforts to expand the railroad system For example the government offered homesteaders grants of land to encourage them to move to the West and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads joined forces to construct 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 passenger railroad services decreased and other transportation options like airplanes and cars gained popularity while stifling regulations choked railroads ability to compete economically A string of bankruptcies service cuts and deferred maintenance were the result Uninformed federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline Around 1970 federal government began to loosen the regulatory restrictions on railroads Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects such as railroad rates and mergers The Federal Railroad Administration was also created which sets rules for safety in rail and is among the 10 agencies of the US Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation Since then a significant amount of money has been made in the nations railway infrastructure The Northeast Corridor for example has been rebuilt to accommodate more efficient faster and modern highspeed ground transportation HSGT trains There have also been efforts 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 The role of FRA is to ensure that the nations transport system operates as efficiently as it can