공지사항

The federal employers’ liability Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT that are responsible for intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the secure and efficient 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 type of rail transport in the United States that is controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for the creation and enforcement of railway safety regulations, manages railway funding, and studies ways to improve the efficiency of rail transportation systems. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that are 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 uses the railway system of the United States. Additionally the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. In addition, 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 duties also include establishing, through regulation and after an opportunity for comment, a procedure by which anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security issues or deficiencies. In addition, the agency establishes policies and conducts inspections in order to evaluate the compliance with its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines: track signal and train control motive power and equipment operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.

The agency is responsible of making sure that the railroad transportation system operates in a safe, economical, and environmentally friendly manner. The agency also demands that railroads maintain a safe work environment and provide adequate training to their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is billed fairly for transportation services.

The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination towards railroad employees. The agency also safeguards whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad carriers. The agency also establishes a procedure by which railroad employees can file complaints about the actions of the company.

The agency's main mission is to ensure the safe, reliable and effective movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America both now and in the future. The FRA achieves this by controlling rail safety, coordinating railroad assistance programmes and conducting research to support improving safety in the railroad industry and national transportation policies as well as coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting private companies manage railroads. In the past, railroads were large monopolies that had no competition. The railroad industry abused its dominance in the market due to. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as other regulatory agencies to control railroad monopolies' abuses.

Purpose

The federal railroad is a federal agency that makes regulations, manages rail funds and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It is responsible for the railroad infrastructure of the United States and manages passenger and freight railroads. It is one of ten agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding current railway systems, ensuring capacity of the rail industry to meet increasing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning.

The government's primary responsibility in the railway industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and it has several divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The largest of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, which has about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections that determine compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines including track signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices as well as hazmat and highway rail grade crossings.

FRA has other departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It is responsible for the programs that aim to improve freight and passenger rail transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants for railways and collaborates with other agencies to plan the nation's rail requirements.

Another important duty of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws regarding railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against workers and ensuring that all injured railway staff are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from delay or deny medical treatment for injured railway employees.

The FRA is the primary regulator of the passenger and freight rail industries, however there are other organizations which manage the economic aspects of rail transport. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for determining rates and governing the economics of the industry. It has regulatory authority over mergers in the railroad industry, line sales construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of a process through regulations, following an opportunity for public input that allows anyone to complain about alleged safety violations to the agency.

Functions

Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in the developed world as also to villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories, and the finished products from those factories to warehouses and stores. Rail is an essential mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities including grains, oil, and coal. In 2020, railroad freight railroads moved more than a quarter of the freight volume in the United America [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 talks with customers and potential clients to determine the services they require and what they will cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost in order to earn money for the railroad. The executive department is responsible for the entire operation, ensuring that each department is functioning efficiently.

The government helps the railways through a variety of means, including grants and subsidized rates on government traffic. Congress also provides funds to support and build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often in addition to the revenue railroads receive from ticket sales and freight contracts.

Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi-public for-profit corporation, which has the United States Government as a major stockholder.

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) primary function is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical properties of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also analyzes and collects information on rail safety to identify trends and areas that require improvement or more regulatory attention.

FRA also works on other projects to improve the economy and safety of railway transportation in the United States. For example, the agency seeks to eliminate obstacles that might hinder railroads' introduction of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is an emergency safety system that utilizes sensors and on-board computers to stop the train when it gets too close to a vehicle or other object.

History

The first railroads in the United States were constructed in the 1820s and 1830s largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads accelerated industrialization and brought more food items to markets in these regions. This made the country more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports.

In the latter half of the nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing an "Golden Age," during which many new, more efficient rail lines were constructed and passenger travel via train became increasingly popular. This was largely because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance the government provided homesteaders land grants to encourage them to settle in the West and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads worked together to complete the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travel from New York to San Francisco in just six days.

However in the early part of the 20th century, demand for passenger railroad services declined and other modes of transportation such as automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while regulations hindered railroads' ability to compete economically. The industry was plagued by a string of bankruptcy as well as service cuts and deferred maintenance. Misguided federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline.

In the year 1970, the federal employers’ liability government began to ease the regulatory shackles on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects like railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates freight and passenger transport and sets rail safety standards was also established.

Since then, the railroad infrastructure of the United America has seen a great deal of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, to allow for faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). Efforts have also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its collaboration with all transportation agencies in order to ensure reliable and safe railroads. It is the job of FRA to help make sure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as it can.