The Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 departments concerned with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and efficient transportation of people and goods.
FRA field inspectors regularly inspect railroad track, signal and train control systems as and operating practices. They also 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 U.S. Department of Transportation, develops and enforces regulations governing railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. The FRA is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation, and its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.
The agency supervises all freight and passenger transport that utilizes the nation's railway network. Additionally the agency supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates support from the federal government for rail transportation activities. Moreover, the agency regulates the management and ownership of all intermodal facilities such as tracks, rights-of-way, equipment and real property as well as rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.
The FRA's responsibilities also include the establishment, through regulation and after an opportunity for comment, a procedure by which anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues. Additionally, the FRA sets up policies and conducts inspections to assess the compliance of its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines: track signals and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.
The agency is tasked with the responsibility of making sure the railroad transportation system is safe, economical, and environmentally friendly. In turn, the agency requires railroads to ensure a safe working environment and provide the appropriate training to their employees. In addition, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public gets a fair rate for their transportation services.
The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and implements rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees. The agency also safeguards whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad carriers. The agency also sets up a complaint procedure for railroad employees to submit complaints regarding the conduct of their company.
The agency's main mission is to ensure the secure, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through regulating rail safety, managing programs to assist railroads conducting research to support improving safety in the railroad industry and national transportation policies, coordinating rail networking development and assisting private companies manage railroads. In the past, railroads were essentially monopolies with little competition. As a result, the industry frequently abused its position in the market. Therefore, Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent the abuses committed by railroad monopolies.
Purpose
The federal railroad is a federal agency that makes regulations, manages funds for rail and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transportation system. It supervises freight and passenger railroads, and manages the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding the current rail systems, ensuring the ability of the rail industry to meet growing demand for freight and travel, as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning.
Safety is the main responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has several divisions which oversee the country's freight and passenger railroad operations. The largest of them is the Office of Railroad Safety, with around 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections to ensure the compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines including track signals, train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices hazardous materials and highway-rail grade crossings.
FRA has several departments which include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This oversees the programs that are meant to improve freight and passenger rail transportation, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. The department is also in charge of the grants that are given to help railways, and it works with other agencies in planning for the country's rail needs.
Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws that pertain to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against workers and making sure that railway workers injured are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. It also prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical treatment to injured railway workers.
The FRA is the main 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 responsible for setting rates and governing the economics of the sector. It has regulatory authority over mergers in the railroad industry, line sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include establishing a process through regulations, after a public input opportunity, by which anyone may report alleged rail safety violations to the agency.
Functions
Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in the developed world as well as villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and then finished goods from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities including grain, oil, and coal. In 2020, freight rail carried more than a quarter of the nation's total freight volumes [PDF].
The federal railroad is managed as a business. It has departments for marketing and operations, sale, and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales works with potential and current customers to determine the type of rail services they require and what those services should cost. The operations department then creates rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest price possible to generate revenue for railroads. The executive department oversees the entire operation, making sure each department is functioning efficiently.
The government helps the railways through a variety of means such as grants and subsidised rates for government-owned traffic. Congress also provides funds to help build and maintain new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often in addition to the revenues railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts.
Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi-public for profit company with a huge stockholder, which is the United States government.
The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) primary function is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical condition of trains, as well as the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes data on rail safety in order to identify trends and areas that require more or better regulation.
FRA also works on other projects that improve the economy and safety of railroad transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency is working to remove obstacles that might hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a security technology that uses sensors and computers to stop a train at the moment it is too close to another object or vehicle.
History
The first railroads in the United States were constructed in the 1820s and 1830s, mostly in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization in those areas and also brought more food to the market. This made the country more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports.
In the latter half of the nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing an "Golden Age," during which many new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger travel via train became more popular. fela lawyers in expanding the railroad system were a major aspect. The government, for example granted homesteaders land grants 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 within six days.
In the first half century however the demand for rail passenger services declined, and other modes of transportation like planes and cars gained in popularity. Meanwhile, stifling regulation hindered railroads' ability to compete. The industry was plagued by a series of bankruptcies service cuts, bankruptcy, and deferred maintenance. Misguided federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline.
Around 1970, federal government began loosening the regulatory restrictions on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic matters 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 within the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation.
Since then, the infrastructure of the railroads of the United States has seen a significant amount of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There are also efforts to create more efficient freight rail. 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 possible.