The Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies concerned with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and reliable movement of goods and people.
FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad tracks, signals and train control systems, as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints.
Definition
Federal railroads are rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) establishes and enforces safety regulations, manages funds for railroads, and investigates ways to improve rail transportation systems. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division, and its top officers are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.
The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that uses the rail network of the United States. The agency also coordinates government funding for rail transportation and assists in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. Moreover, the agency regulates the operation and ownership of all intermodal facilities such as tracks, right-of-way, equipment, real property and rolling stock, and provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.
The FRA's responsibilities also include the establishment, through regulation and after an opportunity for comments an procedure that anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security issues or deficiencies. In addition, the agency establishes policies and conducts inspections to determine the compliance with its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines: track signals and train control motive power and equipment operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.
The agency has the responsibility of making sure the rail transportation system is safe, economical, and environmentally friendly. This is why the agency requires railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide adequate training for their employees. In addition, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public is receiving fair prices for their transportation services.
The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination towards railroad employees. They also shield whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad carriers. The agency also has an avenue for railroad employees to make complaints about the company's conduct.
The agency's primary mission is to enable the safe reliable and efficient movement of people and goods to build a stronger America, now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through regulating rail safety, managing railroad assistance programmes conducting research in support of improved railroad safety and national transportation policy as well as coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting private companies manage railroads. In the past, railroads controlled the market, with very little competition. The railroad industry took advantage of its dominant position in the market due to. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as and other regulatory agencies, to curb railroad monopolies' abuses.
Purpose
Federal railroads are federal institutions that make rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transport in the United States. It supervises freight and passenger railroads and also manages the nation's railway infrastructure. It is one of the ten agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding the current railway systems, ensuring capacity of the rail industry to meet increasing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning.
The government's primary responsibility in the railway industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and has several divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The largest of them is the Office of Railroad Safety, which has about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections to ensure compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines including track signals, 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. This oversees the programs that aim to improve passenger and freight rail transportation, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is also in charge of the grants that are given to help railways, and it collaborates with other agencies to plan for the nation's rail requirements.
The FRA also has a responsibility to enforce federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes stopping railroads from discriminating against employees and ensuring that all railway employees injured are provided with transportation to the nearest hospital for first aid treatment. The law 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, however there are other organizations that oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for setting rates and managing economics in the industry. It is also the regulator for railroad mergers, line sales, construction, and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of regulations after opportunity for public input and participation, where anyone can complain about alleged safety violations to the agency.
Functions
Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in developed countries as and villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing plants, and finished products from those facilities to warehouses and stores. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for a variety of essential products, including coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight railroads transported more than a quarter of all freight volume in the United States [PDF].
The federal railroad is managed like any other business. It has departments for marketing, operations, sales 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 how much they will cost. The operations department then produces the rail services that satisfy those requirements at the cheapest cost to generate revenue for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that each department is operating efficiently.
The government helps the railways through a variety of methods that include grants and subsidized rates for government-owned traffic. Congress also provides funds to support and build new track and stations. These subsidies are often a part of the money that railroads earn through ticket sales and freight contracts.
In the United States, the government is the owner of the passenger railway Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for-profit corporation, with the United States Government as a major stockholder.
A key purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is establishing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This involves 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 has other projects that help improve the safety and efficiency of rail transportation in the United States. The agency, for example is working to eliminate obstacles that can hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety technology that uses sensors and computers on board to stop a train in the event that it is too close to an 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. fela claims accelerated industrialization in these regions and also brought more food items to the market. This helped the country become more independent and less dependent on imports.
In the late 19th century, the railroad industry enjoyed the benefits of a "Golden Age" in which new, more efficient raillines were constructed and passenger travel became popular. This was largely due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for instance provided homesteaders land grants to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to construct the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.
In the first half century, however, the demand for rail passenger services decreased, and other modes of transport like planes and cars increased in popularity. However, stifling regulations made it difficult for railroads to compete. The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcies, service cuts, and deferred maintenance. In addition, misguided federal railway regulations led to the decline of the railroad industry.
Around 1970, the federal government began to ease the regulatory burdens on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee economic aspects of the industry such as mergers and rates for railroads. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established to set standards for rail safety and is among the 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation which oversees passenger and freight transportation.
Since then, a large amount of investment has been made in the country's railroad infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to accommodate more efficient and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). Efforts have also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the near future. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as possible.
