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The Federal Railroad Administration

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

FRA field inspectors inspect the railroad track, train control and signal systems as well 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 a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, develops and enforces railway regulations, administers railroad funds, and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that is made possible by the rail network of the United States. In addition the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation. Additionally, the agency oversees the ownership and operation of all intermodal facilities such as tracks, right-of-way, equipment, real property and rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.

FRA's responsibilities also include establishing through regulation and following an opportunity to comment, a procedure by which anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or deficiencies. In addition, the agency establishes policies and conducts inspections to determine the compliance of its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines: track, signal and train control motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency has the responsibility of ensuring that the railway transportation system is operated in a secure, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner. The agency also requires that railroads to maintain a safe workplace and provide adequate training to their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is charged fair prices for transportation services.

The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees. It also protects whistleblowers against retaliation from railroad carriers. The agency also establishes a procedure by which railroad employees can file complaints regarding the company's actions.

The agency's main mission is to ensure secure, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people for a stronger America now and in future. The FRA achieves this by regulating railroad safety, managing railroad assistance programs and conducting research that supports the improvement of safety for railroads and national rail transportation policy and coordination, as well as supporting rail networking development as well as helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies that had no competition. The railroad industry was able to abuse its dominant position in the market as a result. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as and other regulatory agencies, to limit railroad monopolies' abuses.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a government agency that establishes regulations, manages funds for rail and researches ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It operates the rail infrastructure of the United States and oversees freight and passenger railroads. It is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also tasked with maintaining and expanding existing rail systems, as well as ensuring the capacity of the rail industry to meet increasing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in national and railroad injury Fela Lawyer regional system planning.

The government's primary responsibility in the rail transportation industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a variety of divisions that oversee the country's freight and passenger railway operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of them with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track signalling, and train control equipment and motives, operating procedures, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has several departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs that aim at improving freight and passenger railway transport, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies in order to plan the nation's railway requirements.

The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws that pertain to railroads and workers. This includes stopping railroads from discriminating against workers, and making sure that all injured railway employees are provided with transportation to the nearest hospital for initial aid treatment. It also prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical care to injured railway workers.

The FRA is the primary regulator Federal Employers’ of the freight and passenger rail industries, however there are other agencies that manage the economic aspects of rail transport. The Surface Transportation Board, for example, is in charge of setting rates and managing the economics of the sector. It is the regulatory authority for railroad mergers, line-sales construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include establishing a process through regulations, following an opportunity for public input and participation, where anyone can complain about alleged safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Railroads transport people and goods to and from cities in the developed nations as also remote villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing plants, and finished products from those factories to warehouses and stores. Rail is a vital form of transportation for a variety of essential commodities including grains, oil, and coal. In 2020, freight rail carried over a quarter of the country's total freight volume [PDFThe PDF file contains.

Federal railroads function just like any other company, with departments for marketing and sales, operations 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 will cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost possible to make money for railroads. The executive department is responsible for the entire operation, making sure each department is functioning efficiently.

The government provides support to railways in various ways from grants to subsidised rates for government-owned transport. Congress also offers funds to help build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often a part of the money that railroads earn through tickets and freight contracts.

In the United States, the government has the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for profit corporation with a large stockholder, which is the United States government.

A key purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical properties of trains as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes information on rail safety to identify trends and areas that need improved or increased regulatory attention.

FRA also participates in other projects that improve the safety and economy of rail transportation in the United States. For example, the agency seeks to eliminate obstacles that could hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and on-board computers to automatically stop the train when it gets too close to a vehicle or other object.

History

In the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in America were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization 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 latter part of the 19th century the railroad industry experienced the benefits of a "Golden Age" during which new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger transportation became popular. This was largely because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For example the government provided homesteaders land grants to encourage them to move to the West, and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads worked together to complete 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 declined, and other modes of transportation such as cars and planes increased in popularity. However, stifling regulations made it difficult for railroads to compete. A string of bankruptcies, service cuts and deferred maintenance were the result. In addition, misguided federal railway regulation caused the decline of the railroad industry.

Around the year 1970 the federal government started to ease the regulatory burdens on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic issues like railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which oversees passenger and freight transportation and sets rail safety standards was also established.

Since then, a significant amount of investment has been made in the country's railroad infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example was rebuilt to accommodate faster, more modern high speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. There have also been efforts to develop more efficient freight rail. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its collaboration with all transportation agencies in order to ensure reliable and safe railroads. It is the responsibility of FRA to help make sure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as possible.