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The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for the safety of rail, regulations and enforcement, as well as funding for rail, and research on improving rail strategies. FRA field inspectors use discretion to decide which cases merit the precise and lengthy civil penalty process. This allows them to ensure that the most serious violations are punished. SMART-TD and its allies created history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be in the locomotive cabs of freight trains. The fight is not over. Safety The Federal Railroad Administration implements a number of safety measures to protect the health of employees and public. It formulates and enforces regulations for rail safety, administers rail funding and researches strategies for improving rail and new technologies. It also creates plans, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain the current infrastructure and services for rail. It also expands and improves strategically the national rail network. The department requires all rail companies to abide by strict rules and regulations, and empower their employees and provide them with tools needed to be successful and safe. This includes participating in an anonymous close-call reporting system, establishing labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and providing employees with the required personal protective equipment. Inspectors of the FRA are at the leading edge of enforcing rail safety laws and regulations. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and conduct a multitude of investigations into complaints of non-compliance. Civil penalties can be handed out to those who violate the rail safety laws. Safety inspectors from the agency have wide discretion to determine if a violation falls under the legal definition of an offense that is punishable with civil penalties. Additionally, the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division examines all reports submitted by regional offices to determine legality before determining penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the field and regional levels ensures that the exacting, time-consuming civil penalty process is used only in those situations that truly warrant the deterrent impact of a civil penalty. To be considered guilty of a civil violation the employee of a rail company must be aware of the rules and regulations that govern the conduct of his or her employees. They also must be aware that they ignore these rules. The agency does not consider an individual who acted upon a directive from a supervisor has committed a willful offense. The agency defines the “general railroad system of transportation” as the entire network over which goods and passengers travel within metropolitan and city areas and between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within a steelmill 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 movement of hazardous materials. The agency manages rail finance, which includes grants and loan to improve service and infrastructure. The agency collaborates with other DOT agencies and the industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's railroad system. This includes ensuring the existing rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for new capacity and expanding the network strategically, and coordinating the national and regional system planning and development. While most of the agency's activities are focused on freight transportation, it also handles passenger transportation. The agency is aiming to provide more options for passenger travel and connect people to the places they want to travel to. The agency's focus is on improving the passenger's experience and enhancing the safety of the existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail system continues to operate efficiently. Railroads must abide by a variety of federal regulations, including those related to the size of crews on trains. This issue has become an issue of contention in recent years, with several states enacting legislation that requires two-person crews on trains. This final rule defines federally the minimum crew size requirements, making sure that all railroads adhere to the same safety standards. This rule also requires each railroad that operates one-person train crews to notify FRA of the operation and submit a risk assessment. This will allow FRA to assess the requirements of each operation to the standard two-person crew operation. Additionally this rule alters the review standard for a special approval petition from determining whether an operation is “consistent with railroad safety” to determining whether the operation is secure or as safe as a two-crewmember operation. During the public comment period for this rule, a lot of people supported the requirement for a two-person crew. A form letter sent by 29 people expressed their concern that a lone crewmember could not be as quick to respond to train-related malfunctions or crossing incidents or assist emergency responders at a highway-rail grade crossing. fela railroad accident lawyer emphasized that human factors account for more than half of all railroad accidents, and they believe that a larger crew could help ensure the safety of both the train and its cargo. Technology Freight and passenger railroads employ numerous technologies to increase efficiency, improve security, increase safety and more. Rail industry jargon covers many specific terms and acronyms. Some of the most well-known include machine vision systems (also called drones), instrumented rail-inspection systems driverless trains rolling data centers and unmanned aerial vehicles (also known as drones). Technology isn't just replacing some jobs, it's also empowering people to perform their jobs more efficiently and with greater security. Passenger railroads use smartphones apps and contactless fare cards in order to increase passengership and boost the efficiency of their system. Other developments, like autonomous rail vehicles, are moving closer to reality. The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in the United States is focusing on modernizing the rail infrastructure. This multi-billion-dollar project will see bridges, tunnels tracks, power systems, and tracks updated, and stations rebuilt or replace. 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 a key part of this effort. Recent National Academies review of the office found it excelled at engaging in a continuous dialogue and utilizing the inputs from a variety of stakeholders. It must continue to focus on how its research contributes towards the department's primary goal of ensuring the safe movement of goods and people by railways. One area where the agency might be able to increase its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the development of automated train technology and systems. The Association of American Railroads (AAR), the primary industry association for the freight rail industry, which is focused on research and policy, as well as standard setting, established the Technical Advisory Group for Autonomous Train Operations to assist in helping develop standards within the industry. FRA will be interested in the creation of an automated rail taxonomy, a standardization system that can clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that could be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency would like to know the level of risk the industry sees in fully automated operation, and whether the industry is considering any additional safeguards to reduce that risk. Innovation Railroads are adopting technology to improve worker safety, make business processes more efficient and ensure that the freight it transports arrives at its destination safely. These innovations include cameras and sensors that monitor freight to new railcar designs that help keep dangerous cargo safe during transportation. Some of these technologies enable railroads to send emergency responders directly to accident sites to reduce the danger and minimize the damages to property and individuals. Positive Train Control (PTC) is one of the most significant innovations in rail. It is designed to keep train-to-train accidents out of the way, as well as situations when trains are in a position they shouldn't, and other incidents caused by human errors. It is a three-part system consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive, and an enormous backend server that analyzes and collects data. Trains for passengers are also adopting technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist passenger security personnel in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in the event of an emergency. The company is also looking into other ways to use drones, for instance, using drones to inspect bridges as well as other infrastructure, such as replacing the lights on railway towers, which can be dangerous for workers to climb. Other technologies that can be used for railways for passengers include smart track technology, which can detect the presence of people or objects on the tracks and send drivers with a warning if it's unsafe to travel. These technologies are particularly useful for detecting unauthorized crossings or other issues during the evenings when traffic is less and there are less witnesses to an accident. Another significant technological advance in the railway industry is telematics which allows shippers, railroads and other stakeholders to see the status and condition of a traincar via real-time tracking. These capabilities provide railcar operators and their crews more accountability and transparency and aid in improving efficiency, avoid unnecessary maintenance and reduce delays in delivering freight to customers.