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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT that are responsible for intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the secure and reliable transportation of both people and goods. FRA field inspectors inspect the railroad track signals, train control and track systems as well as operating procedures. 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) creates and enforces railway safety regulations, manages 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 freight and passenger transport that uses the railway system of the United States. The agency also consolidates government funding for rail transportation, and helps with the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. Additionally, the agency oversees the ownership and operation of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks, right-of-way, equipment and real property as well as rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs. FRA's responsibilities include establishing through regulation, following the notification and comment, a process by anyone can report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or deficiencies. Additionally, the FRA sets up policies and conducts inspections to assess the compliance of its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines that include track signals and train control, motive power and machinery operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings. The agency is charged with the responsibility of making sure the railway transportation system is secure, economical, and environmentally friendly. In turn, the agency requires railroads to provide the safety of their workers and provide the appropriate training to their employees. Furthermore, the agency sets and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public is receiving a fair rate for their transportation services. Additionally the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees and also protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also sets up a procedure for railroad employees to make complaints about the conduct of the company. The main goal of the FRA is to ensure the secure, reliable and efficient transportation of people and goods for a strong America today and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through overseeing the regulation of rail safety, managing programs to assist railroads and conducting research to support better safety of railroads and national transportation policies as well as coordinating the development of rail networks and helping the private industry manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market with no competition. In the end, the industry often abused its position in the market. Therefore, Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to limit the abuses committed by railroad monopolies. Purpose Federal railroads are government-owned agencies that set rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve the rail system in the United America. It is responsible for both freight and passenger railroads and operates the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding the current rail systems, ensuring the capacity of the rail industry to meet increasing demand for freight and travel as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning. Security is the primary responsibility in the field of rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and it has several divisions that manage the country's freight and passenger railway operations. The most important of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, which has about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections to determine 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 that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It oversees programs that are meant to improve freight and passenger rail transportation, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for grants given to railways and works with other agencies to plan the nation's rail requirements. Another essential duty of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes stopping railroads from discriminating against employees and ensuring that injured railway workers are provided with transportation to the nearest hospital for first aid treatment. It also prohibits railroads from refusing or delaying medical treatment to injured railway workers. accidentinjurylawyers is the main regulator of the freight and passenger rail industries, however there are other organizations which manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for instance is responsible for setting rates and managing the financial aspects of the industry. It is also the regulator for railroad mergers, line-sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of a process through regulations, after opportunity for public input that allows anyone to complain about alleged safety violations to the agency. Functions Railroads transport people and goods to and from cities in developed nations as also remote villages in less-developed countries. They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing factories, and the finished products from those facilities to warehouses and stores. Railroads are a critical form of transportation for many essential commodities, such as coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight railroads moved more than a quarter of all freight volume in the United States [PDF]. The federal railroad is run like any other business. It has departments for marketing, operations, sales and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales consults with customers and potential clients to determine what services they need and how much they should cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these requirements at the cheapest cost to make money for railroads. The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that each department is running efficiently. The government supports railways in a variety of ways, from grants to subsidized rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also provides money to support and build new tracks and stations. These subsidy funds are often added to the revenue that railroads receive 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, which has the United States Government as a major stockholder. A key purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is establishing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical properties of trains as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also gathers and analyzes data on rail safety in order to identify trends and areas that need improved or increased regulatory attention. In addition to these fundamental tasks, FRA works on various other projects related to improving the economy and security of rail transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA seeks to lower the obstacles that hinder railroads in the implementation of positive train control (PTC). PTC is an emergency safety system that utilizes sensors and on-board computers to automatically stop the train when it gets too close to another vehicle or object. History The nation's first railroads were constructed in the 1820s and 1830s, largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization in these regions, and also brought more food to the market. This helped the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent upon foreign imports, which contributed to a stronger economic base. In the latter part of the 19th century the railroad industry enjoyed the benefits of a “Golden Age” that saw new, more efficient raillines were built and passenger transportation became popular. The government's efforts in expanding the railroad system were an important aspect. The government, for example, gave homesteaders land grants to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to construct the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days. However in the first half of the 20th century, the demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other modes of transport like automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while the stifling of regulations hindered railroads competitiveness economically. A series of bankruptcies and service cuts and deferred maintenance was the next step. In addition, a misguided federal railway regulation led to the decline of the industry. Around the year 1970 the federal government started to loosen 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 was also established, which is responsible for establishing rail safety regulations and is among the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation. Since then, a great amount of investment has been made in the nation's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example, has been rebuilt to accommodate faster, more modern high speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. The effort has also been made to improve the efficiency of freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its relationship with all transportation agencies to ensure safe and reliable railroads. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transport system is running as efficiently as possible.