The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the 10 DOT agencies that deal with intermodal transportation. Its mission is to enable the safe and secure movement of goods and people.

FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track as well as train control and signal 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) is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations governing railways and regulates funds for railroads, and conducts research to improve rail transportation. The FRA is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency oversees all freight and passenger transportation that uses the nation's railway network. In addition the agency supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation. The agency also regulates the ownership and operation of intermodal facilities such as tracks, right of way, equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also oversees federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's responsibilities also include the establishment through regulation and following an opportunity to comment the procedure through which anyone can inform the Secretary of Homeland Security any railroad security problems or deficiencies. The agency also formulates policies, conducts inspections, and evaluates the compliance with its rail laws in six technical disciplines, including track signals, track and train control as well as motive power and equipment; operating procedures as well as hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.

The agency is charged with the responsibility of making sure the rail transportation system is secure, economical and sustainable. This is why the agency requires railroads to maintain a safe working environment and provide appropriate 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.

Additionally, the federal employers liability Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees and protect whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad carriers. The agency also establishes an procedure through which railroad employees can file complaints regarding the company's actions.

The primary goal of the agency is to ensure the safe, reliable and efficient transportation of people and goods for a stronger America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through controlling safety of railroads, coordinating programs for assistance to railroads conducting research to help improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policies and coordination, as well as supporting the development of a rail network, and helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads controlled the market with little competition. This meant that the industry often abused its position in the market. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as other regulatory agencies to control railroad monopolies' abuses.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a government agency that sets rules, oversees funds for rail and researches 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 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding the current railway systems, ensuring capability of the railroad industry to meet growing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning.

Safety is the government's main responsibility in rail transportation. The federal employers’ Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and has several divisions responsible for overseeing the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The largest of them is the Office of Railroad Safety, which has approximately 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections that determine compliance with the regulations in six technical disciplines: track signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating procedures as well as hazmat and highway rail grade crossings.

FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs aimed to improve passenger and freight rail transportation, like the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for granting grants for railways and collaborates with other agencies to determine 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 making sure that injured railway workers receive transportation to the nearest hospital for first aid treatment. Railroads are also prohibited from delay or deny medical treatment for injured railway workers.

The FRA is the main regulator for the rail passenger and freight industry, but other agencies manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for instance, is in charge of setting rates and governing the financial aspects of the industry. It has regulatory authority over mergers in the railroad industry and line sales construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include establishing a process through regulations, following an opportunity for public input, 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 and villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories, and then the final products from these facilities to warehouses and stores. Railroads are a critical form of transportation for many vital products, including coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight rail moved over a quarter of the nation's total freight volumes [PDFThe PDF file contains.

A federal railroad operates like any other business, with departments for marketing, operations, sales, and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales works with potential and existing customers as well as clients to determine the services they need and what they need to cost. The operations department then creates the rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest possible cost to generate revenue for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and ensures that each department is operating efficiently.

The government provides support to railways by a variety of methods such as grants and subsidised rates on government-owned traffic. Congress also provides money to build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often added to the revenue 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.

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) main task is to formulate and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes data on rail safety in order to identify trends and areas that may need improved or increased regulatory attention.

FRA also works on other projects that improve the economy and safety of railroad transportation in the United States. The agency, for example, aims to reduce the barriers that could delay railroads in implementing positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and on-board computers to stop the train when it is too close to another vehicle or other object.

History

In the 1820s-1830s, the first railroads in America were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads helped speed up industrialization and brought more food items to the market in these regions. This allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on foreign imports, which contributed to a stronger economic base.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century the railroad industry went through a "Golden Age," during which many new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger travel via train became increasingly popular. The government's efforts in expanding the railroad system was a major reason. For instance, the government, gave land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to build the first transcontinental railroad which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.

However, in the first half of the 20th century, demand for passenger railroad services declined and other transportation options like automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while the stifling of regulations hampered railroads' ability to compete economically. A series of bankruptcies and service cuts and deferred maintenance was the next step. Additionally, a misguided federal railway regulation led to the decline of the railroad industry.

In the year 1970 the federal government started to loosen the regulatory burdens on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established to set rail safety regulations and is among the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation.

Since then, a significant deal of investment has been made in the nation's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example, has been rebuilt to accommodate more efficient, faster and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. There have also been efforts to create more efficient freight rail systems. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure the safety and reliability of rails in the coming years. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transport system is running as efficiently as possible.