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The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the 10 DOT agencies involved in intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the safe and reliable transportation of both people and goods.

FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track, train control and signal systems as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

Federal railroads are the rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for the creation and enforcement of railway safety rules, oversees railway funding, and studies ways to improve rail transportation systems. The FRA is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation, and its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all passenger and freight transport that utilizes the rail network of the United States. The agency also coordinates the funding provided by the federal government for rail transportation, and helps with the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. Moreover, the agency regulates the operation and ownership of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks, rights-of-way, equipment and real property as well as rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's duties include establishing, through regulation, after opportunity for notice and comment the procedure by which anyone can submit a make a complaint to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or shortcomings. In addition, the agency creates policies and conducts inspections to determine the compliance of its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines that include track signals and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency has the responsibility of ensuring that the rail transportation system is safe, economical and sustainable. In turn, the agency requires railroads to ensure a safe working environment and provide the appropriate training to their employees. In addition, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public gets a fair rate for their transportation services.

Additionally the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees, as well as protects whistleblowers from being retaliated against by railroad companies. The agency also has a procedure for railroad employees to submit complaints about the conduct of the company.

The primary goal of the FRA is to enable the safe efficient, reliable, and secure transportation of goods and people to ensure a secure America, now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this by regulating rail safety, managing programs for assistance to railroads, conducting research to support improved railroad safety and national transportation policies and coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting private companies manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market with little competition. In the end, railroads often misused their position in the market. Hence, Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to curb the abuses committed by railroad monopolies.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a federal agency that sets regulations, manages funds for rail and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It is responsible for both passenger and freight railroads, and also manages the nation's railway infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the current railroad systems.

The government's primary responsibility in the railway industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and it has several divisions that manage the country's freight and passenger railway operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of these with a staff of around 350. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, which include track, signalling, and train control, motive and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crosses.

FRA has several departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department is responsible for programs aimed at enhancing passenger and freight rail transport, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants given to railways and works with other agencies in order to plan the nation's rail requirements.

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

The FRA is the main regulator for the passenger and freight rail industry, however other agencies 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 industry. It has regulatory authority on railroad mergers, line sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include establishing regulations following an opportunity for public input and participation, where anyone can submit complaints about rail safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Railroads transport goods and people between cities in developed countries as and remote villages in less-developed countries. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and finished goods from these facilities to warehouses or stores. fela railroad accident lawyer are a critical form of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, such as coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight rail moved more than a quarter of country's total freight volume [PDF(PDF).

The federal railroad is run as a business. It has departments for marketing, sale, operations and an executive department. The marketing and sales department collaborates with potential and current customers to determine the type of rail services they need and what those services should cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that meet those requirements at the cheapest cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that each department is running efficiently.

The government offers support to the railways in various ways, from grants to subsidized rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also provides funds to help build new track and stations. These subsidy funds are often added to the revenue that railroads receive through ticket sales 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 stockholder, which is the United States government.

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) main function is to develop and enforce 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 data on rail security to identify patterns areas that require improvement or attention from regulators and to identify trends.

FRA also has other projects that help improve the safety and economy of railroad transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency aims to reduce barriers that could delay railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety system that utilizes sensors and computers on board to stop a train at the moment it is too close to an vehicle or object.

History

In the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in the United States were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in these areas, and also brought more food items to the market. This helped the country to become more independent and less dependent on foreign imports, which helped to foster a strong economic base.

In the late nineteenth century, the railroad industry experienced an "Golden Age," during which many new trains that were more efficient were built and passenger travel via train became more popular. This was in large part due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for example provided land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also partnered to build the first transcontinental railway, 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 dwindled, while other modes of transportation like planes and cars increased in popularity. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation hindered railroads' ability to compete. A series of bankruptcies, service cuts and deferred maintenance was the next step. In addition, misguided federal railway regulation contributed to the demise of the industry.

In the year 1970 the federal government began to ease the regulatory shackles on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic matters such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established, which is responsible for establishing standards for rail safety and is among the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation which oversees passenger and freight transportation.

Since then, the infrastructure of the railroads of the United States has seen a significant amount of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). The effort has also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems. FRA hopes to continue to work with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the near future. FRA's mission is to ensure that the nation's transport system operates as efficiently as it can.