The Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT that are responsible for intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the secure and reliable transportation of people and goods.
FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad tracks, signals and train control systems as well as operating practices. They also investigate complaints.
Definition
Federal railroads are rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is part of the U.S. 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 part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division and its chief officers are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.
The agency oversees all passenger and freight transportation that uses the nation's railway network. In addition the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. Moreover, the agency regulates the ownership and operation of all intermodal facilities such as tracks, right-of-way equipment and real property as well as rolling stock, and provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.
FRA's responsibilities also include establishing, through regulation and after an opportunity for comments, a procedure by which anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or deficiencies. The agency also formulates policies, conducts inspections, and reviews compliance with its railroad laws in six technical disciplines, which include track signals, track and train control locomotive power and equipment; operating procedures; hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.
The agency is responsible of making sure that the railroad transportation system is operating in a secure, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner. The agency also demands that railroads maintain a safe work environment and provide adequate training to their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is billed fair prices for 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 has a complaint procedure for railroad employees to make complaints regarding the conduct of their company.
The main goal of the FRA is to ensure safe, reliable and effective transportation of people and goods for a strong America today and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this by controlling rail safety, coordinating railroad assistance programmes, conducting research in support of better safety of railroads and national transportation policy and coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were large monopolies that had no competition. As a result, the industry frequently abused its position in the market. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as along with other regulatory agencies, to curb railroad monopolies' abuses.
Purpose
The federal railroad is a federal agency that establishes rules, oversees funds for rail and researches ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It operates the rail infrastructure of the United States and manages passenger and freight railroads. It is one of ten agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the existing rail infrastructure.
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 that oversee the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The largest of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, which is home to about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections that determine the compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines: track signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices hazardous materials and highway-rail grade crossings.
FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department is responsible for programs aimed at enhancing passenger and freight rail transport, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department also is responsible for grants that help railways, and it works with other agencies to plan for the nation's rail needs.
Another important duty of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes stopping railroads from using their power to discriminate against workers and making sure that all injured railway staff are taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. It also prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical treatment for injured railway employees.
The FRA is the main regulator of the passenger and freight rail industries, but there are other organizations that manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for determining rates and governing economics in the sector. It is also the regulator for railroad mergers, line-sales, construction and abandonment. After an open consultation period, the agency is also accountable for establishing regulations that allow anyone to report any alleged rail safety violations.
Functions
Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in the developed world as also to villages in countries that are less developed. fela settlements transport raw materials from manufacturing and processing facilities, and then finished products from these facilities to stores or warehouses. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for many vital products, including coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight railroads transported more than a quarter of the freight volumes in the United America [PDF(PDF).
Federal railroads operate as a business just like other businesses with departments for marketing and sales, operations and an executive department. The marketing and sales department works with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they require and the amount they should cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost possible to make money for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that each department is running efficiently.
The government provides support to railways with a variety methods that include grants and subsidized rates for government-owned traffic. Congress also provides funds to build new tracks and stations. These subsidy funds are often added to the revenues that railroads receive through tickets and freight contracts.
Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi-public for-profit company, with the United States Government as a major stockholder.
A major purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is establishing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical condition of trains and the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on rail security to identify patterns, areas that need improvement or regulatory attention and to track trends.
In addition to these primary functions, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the security and economy of rail transportation in the United States. The agency, for example is working to eliminate obstacles that hinder railroads in implementing positive train control (PTC). PTC is an emergency safety system that utilizes sensors and on-board computers to stop the train when it is too close to a vehicle or object.
History
In the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in the United States were constructed, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization in these regions, and also brought more food items to the market. This development allowed the country to become more independent and less dependent on foreign imports, which helped to foster a strong economic base.
In the latter part of the nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing a "Golden Age," during which many new trains that were more efficient were built and passenger travel on train became popular. This was in large part due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance the government provided homesteaders grants of land to encourage them to settle in the West and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads collaborated to build the first transcontinental railroad which made it possible to travel from New York to San Francisco in just six days.
In the first half century, however, the demand for passenger rail services dwindled, while other modes of transportation like planes and automobiles gained in popularity. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation hindered railroads' ability to compete. A series of bankruptcies and delays in maintenance and service cuts followed. In addition, misguided federal railway regulations led to the decline of the industry.
In the year 1970 the federal government started to ease the regulatory shackles on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which supervises freight and passenger transportation and sets safety standards for rail was also established.
Since then, a great amount of money has been made in the nation's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). The effort has also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its partnership with all transportation agencies in order to ensure the safety and reliability of railroads. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transport system runs as efficiently as is possible.