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The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies concerned with intermodal transportation. Its purpose is to ensure safe and reliable transportation of people and goods.

FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad track, signal and train control systems, as and operating practices. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

A federal railroad is a rail carrier in the United States that is 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 chief executives are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator.

The agency supervises all passenger and freight transportation that is conducted through the nation's rail network. In addition the agency supports the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates support from the federal government for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates ownership and operation of intermodal facilities including 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 after an opportunity to comment an procedure that anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security issues or deficiencies. Additionally, the FRA creates policies and conducts inspections to determine compliance with its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines that include track, signal and train control, motive power and machinery operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.





The agency is in charge of ensuring that the railway transportation system is operating in a secure, efficient and sustainable manner. As a result, the agency requires railroads to provide the safety of their workers and provide the appropriate training to their employees. In addition, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public is receiving an equitable price for their transportation services.

The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and implements rules to prevent discrimination towards railroad employees. The agency also safeguards whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad companies. The agency also establishes procedures for railroad employees can make complaints about the actions of the company.

The primary goal of the agency is to ensure secure, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people for a strong America now and in future. The FRA accomplishes this by controlling rail safety, coordinating programs to assist railroads and conducting research to support better safety of railroads and national transportation policies and coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting private companies manage railroads. In the past, railroads were dominant in the market with little competition. The railroad industry abused its dominant position in the market due to. Therefore, Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to curb abuses by railroad monopolies.

Purpose

Federal railroads are federal agencies that set rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transportation in the United States. It is responsible for the rail infrastructure of the United States and manages passenger and freight railroads. It is one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding current rail systems, ensuring the capacity of the rail industry to meet growing demand for freight and travel, as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning.

The main responsibility of the federal government in the rail transportation industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and it has several divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railroad operations. The largest of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, with around 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections to ensure compliance with the regulations in six technical disciplines that include track, signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices as well as hazmat and highway rail grade crossings.

FRA has several departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This oversees the programs that are meant to improve freight and passenger railway transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. The department is also responsible for grants that are made to railways and works with other agencies in planning for the country's rail needs.

The FRA also has a responsibility to enforce federal laws related to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminating against workers, and making sure that injured railway workers are provided with transportation to the nearest hospital for first aid treatment. It also prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical treatment to injured railway employees.

The FRA is the main regulator of the rail passenger and freight industry, but other organizations manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for example, is in charge of setting rates and managing the economics of the sector. It is also responsible for regulating mergers in the railroad industry, line sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of regulations after a public input opportunity that allows anyone to submit complaints about rail safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Railroads carry people and goods between cities in developed countries as also remote 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 vital mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, including coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight rail carried more than a quarter of the nation's total freight volumes [PDF(PDF).

Federal railroads function as a business just like other businesses with departments for marketing, operations, sales, and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales talks with customers and potential clients to determine what services they need and what they need to cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost to generate revenue for the railroad. The executive department oversees the entire operation, making sure every department is operating efficiently.

The government helps the railways through a variety of means that include grants and subsidized rates for government-owned traffic. Congress also provides funds to support and construct new tracks and stations. These subsidies are often a part of the revenues that railroads receive through tickets and freight contracts.

In the United States, the government owns the passenger railway Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for profit corporation with a significant shareholder that is the United States government.

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 safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes information on rail safety to identify trends and areas that may require improvement or more regulation.

FRA also participates in other projects to improve the safety and efficiency of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency aims to reduce barriers that could delay railroads' introduction of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and computers on board to automatically stop the train when it is too close to a vehicle or other object.

History

In the 1820s and 1830s, the first railroads in the United States were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization in these regions and also brought more food products 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 went through a "Golden Age," during which many new, more efficient rail lines were constructed, and passenger travel by train became more popular. This was in large part due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance, the government gave land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to move to the West, and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads joined forces to construct the first transcontinental railroad which enabled travel from New York to San Francisco in six days.

In the first half century however, the demand for rail passenger services dwindled, while other modes of transportation such as cars and planes increased in popularity. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation hindered railroads' ability to compete. fela settlements was plagued by a succession of bankruptcies as well as service cuts and delayed maintenance. In addition, misguided federal railway regulations led to the decline of the industry.

In the year 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 railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates freight and passenger transport and sets standards for rail safety was also established.

Since then, the railroad infrastructure of the United States has seen a lot of investment. The Northeast Corridor, for example was 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. FRA hopes to continue to work with all transportation agencies to ensure safe and reliable rails in the future. FRA's mission is to ensure that the nation's transport system operates as efficiently as is possible.