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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT that are responsible for intermodal transportation Its purpose is to ensure secure and reliable transportation of both people and goods FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad tracks signals and train control systems as and operating practices They also investigate complaints Definition A federal railroad is a type of rail transport in the United States that is controlled by the government Federal Railroad Administration FRA which is part of the US Department of Transportation develops and enforces regulations for railways and regulates funds for railroads and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation The FRA is one of 10 agencies within the US Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation and its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator The agency oversees all freight and passenger transportation that utilizes the nations railway network In addition the agency supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates the governments support for rail transportation activities The agency also regulates 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 responsibilities are to establish through regulation following the opportunity for notice and comment the procedure by which any person may make a complaint to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or deficiencies The agency also develops guidelines conducts inspections and reviews the compliance with its rail laws in six technical disciplines which include track signals track and train control as well as motive power and equipment operating practices hazardous materials and highwayrail grade intersections The agency is responsible of ensuring that the railway transportation system operates in a safe economical and sustainable manner This is why the agency requires railroads to ensure the safety of their workers and provide adequate training for their employees Furthermore the agency sets and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public receives an equitable price for their transportation services The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and implements rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees It also protects whistleblowers against retaliation from railroad companies The agency also establishes a complaint procedure for railroad employees to file complaints regarding the conduct of their company The agencys primary mission is to facilitate the safe efficient reliable and secure movement of goods and people for a strong America now and in the future The FRA accomplishes this through regulating rail safety managing railroad assistance programmes and conducting research in support of improved railroad safety and national transportation policies and coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting private companies manage railroads In the past railroads dominated the market with no competition The railroad industry took advantage of its dominant position in the market as a result Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission as and other regulatory agencies to curb the monopolies exploitation of railroads Purpose Federal railroads are governmentowned agencies that set rules regulate rail funds and conduct research to improve the rail system in the United America It operates the railway infrastructure of the United States and manages freight and passenger railroads It is one of the ten agencies within the US Department of Transportation It is also charged with maintaining and expanding existing railway systems ensuring capability of the railroad industry to meet the growing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning Safety is the main responsibility in rail transportation The Federal Railroad Administration FRA is responsible for this and has several divisions that manage the countrys freight and passenger railroad operations The largest of them is the Office of Railroad Safety which is home to about 350 safety inspectors It is responsible for conducting inspections to determine the 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 various departments including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development It oversees programs designed to improve passenger and freight railway transportation including the Northeast Corridor Future The department is also in charge of the grants that are made to railways and collaborates with other agencies in planning for the nations rail requirements The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws related to railroads and workers This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against employees and making sure that all injured railway staff are taken to the nearest hospital to receive treatment Additionally railroads are prohibited from refusing or delaying medical treatment to injured railway workers The FRA is the main regulator of the passenger and freight rail industries but there are other organizations that oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation Surface Transportation Board is responsible for establishing rates and managing economics in the industry It is the regulatory authority for railroad mergers linesales construction and abandonment Other responsibilities include establishing a process through regulations after opportunity for public input that allows anyone to complain about alleged safety violations to the agency Functions Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in developed countries as well as villages in less developed countries They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities and finished goods from these facilities to stores or warehouses Rail is an essential mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities like grains oil and coal In 2020 freight rail transported more than a quarter of countrys total freight volume PDFPDF The federal railroad is managed like any other business It has departments for marketing and operations sales and an executive department The marketing and sales department consults with customers and potential clients to determine the services they require and what they will cost The operations department then produces the rail services that meet these requirements at the cheapest cost to earn money for the railroad The executive department oversees the entire operation and makes sure that each department is running efficiently The government supports railways in a variety ways from grants to subsidized rates for shipping government traffic Congress also offers funds to help construct new tracks and stations These subsidies are often in addition to the revenues the railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts In the United States the government has the railway for passengers Amtrak It is a quasipublic forprofit corporation 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 fela case settlements involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains as well as the safety and health of railroad employees FRA also collects data about rail security to determine trends areas that need improvement or attention from the regulatory side and to determine trends FRA also participates in other projects to improve the safety and efficiency of rail transportation in the United States For instance the agency seeks to eliminate obstacles that could hinder railroads introduction of positive train control systems PTC PTC is a security technology that uses sensors and computers on board to stop a train at the moment it is too close to an vehicle or object History The nations first railroads were built in the 1820s and 1830s mostly in New England and the MidAtlantic states The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in these regions and also brought more food products to the market This helped the country become more independent and less dependent on imports In the 19th centurys final years the railroad industry enjoyed a Golden Age that saw new more efficient raillines were constructed and passenger travel became popular This was largely due to the governments efforts to expand the railroad system For instance the government gave land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to settle in the West Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to build the first transcontinental railway which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days However in the early part of the 20th century the demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other modes of transport like cars and airplanes gained popularity while stifling regulations choked railroads ability to compete economically A series of bankruptcies delays in maintenance and service cuts were the result Additionally a misguided federal railway regulation led to the demise of the industry Around the year 1970 the federal government began loosening the regulatory restrictions on railroads Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic issues like railroad rates and mergers The Federal Railroad Administration was also created which sets rules for safety in rail and is one of the 10 agencies of the US Department of Transportation which oversees passenger and freight transportation Since then the railroad infrastructure of the United States has seen a significant amount of investment The Northeast Corridor for example has been renovated to accommodate faster more modern high speed ground transportation HSGT trains There have also been efforts to improve the efficiency of freight rail systems In the future FRA hopes to continue its relationship with all transportation agencies to ensure the safety and reliability of railroads The role of FRA is to ensure that the nations transport system runs as efficiently as possible