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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, rail funding, and research on improving rail strategies. FRA inspectors on the ground employ discretion to determine which cases merit the lengthy and precise civil penalty procedure. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are penalized. SMART-TD and its allies created history by 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be allowed in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. The fight continues. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration has a variety of safety measures in place to ensure the health and welfare of employees and the public. It creates and enforces rail safety regulations, administers rail funding and researches strategies for improving rail and technologies. It also creates and implements a strategy to ensure the current infrastructure, rail services and capacity and strategically expands and improves the national rail network. The department demands that all rail employers adhere to strict guidelines and empower their employees, and provide them with tools to be secure and productive. This includes participation in the confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational health and safety committees with full union participation and protection against retaliation and providing employees with personal protection equipment. FRA inspectors are at the forefront of enforcement of the rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate complaints from hundreds of people. Those who violate rail safety laws may be punished with civil penalties. Safety inspectors at the agency have wide discretion to determine whether a violation falls under the statutory definition of an offense that is punishable by civil penalties. The Office of Chief Counsel’s safety division also examines the reports that regional offices submit to ensure they are legal prior to imposing penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the field and regional levels ensures that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is applied only in those situations which truly warrant the deterrent effect of a civil fine. To be considered guilty of a civil offense, a rail employee must know the rules and regulations that govern his or her actions. They also must be aware that they not adhere to these rules. The agency does not believe that an individual who acts on a supervisor's directive has committed a willful offense. The agency defines “general railroad system” as the whole network that transports passengers and goods between metropolitan areas and cities. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steel mill is not considered to be part of the general rail transportation system, despite the fact that it is physically connected. Regulation The Federal Railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and the movement of hazardous materials. The agency also manages rail financing, including grants and loans for infrastructure and improvements to service. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies for improving the nation's rail system. This includes ensuring the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the needs for capacity expansion, expanding the network strategically and coordinating regional and national system's planning and development. The agency is responsible for freight transport, but also supervises passenger transportation. The agency is working to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people to the places they would like to travel to. The agency is focused on improving the passenger experience and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network continues to operate efficiently. Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, including those pertaining to the size of the crews on trains. In recent years, this issue has been a source of contention. Some states have passed legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum size crew requirements, ensuring that all railroads follow 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 enable FRA to compare the parameters of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. This rule also alters the review standard of a special approval request to determine if an operation is “consistent” with railroad safety, to determining if the operation is as safe or safer than two-person crew operation. During the public comment period for this rule, many people supported a two-person crew requirement. In fela lawyer , 29 people expressed their concerns that a single crewmember is not in a position to respond as quickly to incidents or train malfunctions at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on an elevated highway crossing. Commenters noted that human factor are responsible for a majority of railroad accidents. They believe that a bigger crew will ensure the safety of the train and its cargo. Technology Freight and passenger rails employ a variety of technologies to improve efficiency, increase security, and increase safety. The rail industry vernacular contains a myriad of unique terms and acronyms, however, some of the most notable developments include machine vision systems, instrumentsed rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones). Technology isn't just replacing some jobs — it's empowering individuals to perform their work better and safer. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphones apps and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and make the system more efficient. Other innovations, such as autonomous rail vehicles, are inching closer to reality. The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve secure reliable, affordable, and cost-effective transportation in America is focusing on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This is a multi-billion-dollar effort that will see tunnels and bridges rebuilt tracks, power systems and tracks upgraded and stations rebuilt or replaced. The FRA's rail improvements program will be greatly increased by the recently approved bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Office of Research, Development and Technology of the agency is an essential element in this initiative. The most recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging with, maintaining communication and utilizing inputs of a wide range of stakeholders. But it still needs to focus more on how its research contributes to the department's primary strategic goal of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods via rail. The agency could improve its effectiveness by identifying and supporting automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the primary freight rail association that focuses on research, policy and standard-setting the Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards for the implementation of the technology. FRA is likely to be interested in the development of an automated rail taxonomy, a standard that will clearly and consistently define different levels of automation that will be applicable to both rail and on-road transit vehicles. The agency would like to know the degree of risk the industry sees in fully automated operation, as well as whether the industry is considering additional safeguards to minimize that risk. Innovation Railroads are using technology to improve worker safety, make business processes more efficient, and ensure that the cargo they move reaches its destination in good condition. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight to new railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transportation. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to reduce the risk and minimize damage to people and property. One of the most prominent innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) that will stop collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks they shouldn't be and other accidents that result from human error. This system is made up of three components consisting of locomotives onboard that track the train; wayside networks which communicate with the locomotive; and a massive server that analyzes and collects data. Railroads that transport passengers are also embracing technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist passenger security personnel in locating passengers and other items aboard trains in the event in the event of an emergency. The company is also exploring ways to use drones. They could be used to examine bridges and other infrastructure or to replace the lighting on railway towers that are hazardous for workers to climb. Other technologies that could be utilized for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of objects or people on the tracks and send out drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to travel. These technologies are particularly effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other problems in the evenings when traffic is less and there are fewer witnesses to an accident. Telematics is yet another significant technological advance in the rail industry. It allows railways, shippers and other stakeholders, to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. These capabilities provide railcar operators and crews better control and visibility. They can also aid in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in the delivery of freight to customers.