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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for safety regulations for rail and enforcement, rail funding, and research on improving rail strategies. FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide which cases are worthy of the precise and time consuming civil penalty process. This helps ensure that the most serious violations are penalized. SMART-TD, along with its allies, made history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be in the cabs of freight locomotives. trains. The fight continues. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration has a range of safety measures in place to ensure the health and safety of employees and the public. It is responsible for creating and enforcing rail safety regulations. It also administers rail funding, and conducts research on rail improvement strategies and technological developments. It also develops and implements a strategy to ensure that current infrastructure, rail services and capacity, and strategically develops and improves the nation's rail network. The department expects all rail companies to adhere to the strictest rules and regulations, empower their employees and provide them with tools to be successful and secure. fela lawsuit settlements Accident Injury Lawyers includes taking part in the confidential close-call reporting system, creating labor-management occupational safety and health committees that have full participation from unions and anti-retaliation clauses and providing employees with the needed personal protective equipment. Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct regular inspections of equipment and conduct a myriad of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties are applied to those who break rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have wide discretion to determine whether an act is within the legal definition of an act that is punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also reviews the reports that regional offices submit to ensure they are legal prior to imposing penalties. This discretion is exercised at the field and regional levels to ensure that civil penalties are only used in situations that warrant them. To be guilty of a civil violation an employee of a railroad must know the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They must also be aware of and disregard these standards. However, the agency does not consider anyone who acts under a directive from a supervisor as having committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the “general railroad system of transportation” as the entire system that passengers and goods travel within metropolitan and city areas or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad in the steel mill isn't considered part of the general transportation system that trains even though it is physically connected to it. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those related to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency also oversees rail financing including loans and grants for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail infrastructure. This includes maintaining existing rail infrastructure and services and making sure that there is enough capacity and strategically expanding the network and coordinating national and regional systems planning and development. Although the majority of the agency's work is focused on freight transportation, it also oversees the transportation of passengers. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passenger travel and connect passengers with the places they'd like to travel to. The agency is focused primarily on enhancing the experience for passengers, enhancing safety of the current fleet, and making sure that the rail system continues to operate efficiently. Railroads are required to abide with a variety of federal regulations, including those that deal with the size and composition of crews on trains. In recent times, this issue has become a source of controversy. Some states have passed legislation requiring two-person crews in trains. This final rule codifies federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards. This rule also requires that every railroad that has a one-person crew notify FRA and submit a risk analysis. This will allow FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to the parameters of a standard two-person crew operation. This rule also changes the standard for reviewing an approval request that is a special case to determine if an operation is “consistent” with railroad safety standards to determining whether the operation is as safe or less risky than a two-person crew operation. During the public comment period for this rule, many people expressed support for the requirement of a two-person crew. In a form letter 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crewmember is not capable of responding with the speed required to respond to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on a highway-rail level crossing. Commenters noted that human factors are the reason for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew will ensure the security of the train and its cargo. Technology Trains for passenger and freight use various technologies to increase efficiency, increase security, and improve safety. Rail industry jargon comprises many specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most notable include machine vision systems (also called drones) instruments for rail-inspection systems, driverless train, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicle (also known as drones). Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to do their jobs better and with greater security. Passenger railroads are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards to increase ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations such as autonomous rail cars are coming closer to becoming reality. The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This multi-billion dollar project will see tunnels, bridges tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations renovated or replaced. The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will dramatically increase the agency's rail improvement programs. The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major component of this initiative. The most recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging, maintaining communication and using inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. It must continue to consider how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via railways. One area in which the agency might be able to improve its effectiveness is in identifying and assisting the development of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry that focuses on research policy, standard-setting and policy created a Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations in order to help develop standards within the industry. FRA will be interested in the creation of an automated rail taxonomy. It is a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that would be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will want to know the degree of risk that the industry perceives with fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is contemplating any additional safeguards to minimize the risk. Innovation Railroads are adopting technology to improve worker safety and make business processes more efficient and ensure that the cargo that they transport arrives at its destination safely. These innovations range from sensors and cameras that monitor freight to innovative railcar designs that keep hazardous cargo safe during transit. Some of these technologies allow railroads to dispatch emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to minimize risk and minimize damage to property and people. One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be, as well as other accidents resulting from human mistakes. This system is a three-part process consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train and wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and a massive backend server that analyzes and collects data. Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to improve safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with the use of drones to assist passenger security personnel in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring other possibilities to utilize drones, for instance, using drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure such as replacing the lighting on railway towers, which can be hazardous for workers to climb. Smart track technology is a different technology that can be used in passenger railroads. It can detect objects or people on tracks and notify drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These types of technologies can be particularly useful in detecting crossings that are not authorized and other issues during off-hours, when traffic is at its lowest and there are fewer people to witness an accident. Another significant technological advance in the railway industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to monitor the condition and status of a traincar via real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and their crews more accountability and visibility and can aid in improving efficiency, prevent unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers.