• 목록
• 답변
• 글쓰기
• 게시판 리스트 옵션
  • 수정
  • 삭제

The Federal Railroad Administration and Technology

The Federal Railroad Administration creates and enforces safety regulations for rail, provides rail funding and conducts research on strategies to improve rail infrastructure.

FRA inspectors on the ground use discretion to determine which cases are worthy of the lengthy and precise civil penalty procedure. This helps ensure that the most serious violations are penalized.

SMART-TD and its allies created history in 2024 when they convinced the FRA that two persons should be allowed to sit in the cabs of freight locomotives. trains. The fight is not over.

Safety

The Federal Railroad Administration implements a variety of safety measures to protect the health of employees and public. It is responsible for creating and enforcing safety regulations for rail. It also oversees rail funding, and conducts research on improvements to rail strategies and technologies. It also develops, implements and maintains an action plan to maintain current rail services and infrastructure. It also develops and improves the national rail network. The department requires all rail companies to abide by strict rules and regulations, empower their workers and provide them with tools needed to be successful and secure. This includes participating in a confidential close-call reporting system, setting up labor-management occupational safety and health committees with full union participation and antiretaliation provisions and giving employees the necessary personal protective equipment.

Inspectors of the FRA are at the forefront of enforcing rail safety regulations and laws. They conduct routine inspections of equipment and investigate hundreds of complaints. Civil penalties can be applied to those who break rail safety laws. The safety inspectors of the agency have a broad discretion on whether an individual violation is in line with the statutory definition of a criminal penalty-worthy employers liability act fela. Additionally the Office of Chief Counsel's safety division reviews all reports received by regional offices to determine legality before determining penalties. The exercise of this discretion both at the field and regional levels helps ensure that the time-consuming, costly civil penalty process is utilized only in cases that are truly deserving of the effect of a civil penalty.

To be guilty of a civil offense, a rail employee must be aware of the rules and regulations governing his or her actions. They also must be aware that they not adhere to these rules. However the agency doesn't consider anyone who follows a directive from a supervisor to have committed an intentional violation. The agency defines the "general railroad system of transportation" as the entire network over which goods and passengers travel within metropolitan areas, or between them. The trackage of a plant railroad within the steel mill is not considered to be part of the overall rail transportation system, even though it's physically connected.

Regulation

The Federal fela railroad Administration sets train regulations, including those pertaining to safety and movement of hazardous materials. The agency oversees rail finance, which includes loans and grants for infrastructure and service improvement. The agency works with other DOT agencies as well as industry to devise strategies to improve the nation's rail system. This includes maintaining the current rail infrastructure and services, addressing the need for new capacity and expanding the network strategically, and coordinating regional and national system's planning and development.

The agency is primarily responsible for freight transportation but also manages passenger transportation. The agency is trying to connect people with the destinations they desire and offer more options for travel. The agency's focus is on improving the passenger's experience as well as enhancing the safety of its existing fleet, and ensuring that the rail network is operating efficiently.

Railroads are required to abide with a variety of federal regulations, including those relating to the size and composition of train crews. In recent years the issue has become controversial. Some states have passed legislation that requires two-person teams on trains. This final rule codifies the minimum requirements for crew size at a federal level, ensuring that all railroads are subject to consistent safety standards.

This rule also requires that every railroad that has a one-person crew notify FRA and submit an analysis of risk. This will allow FRA to better identify the specific parameters of each operation and compare them with the parameters of a typical two-person crew operation. In addition this rule will change the standard of review for a special approval petition from to determining whether an operation is "consistent with railroad safety" to determining whether approving the operation is safer or more secure than a two-crewmember operation.

During the period of public comment on this rule, a lot of people voted for a requirement of two people on the crew. In a formal letter 29 people voiced their concern that a single member of the crew is not in a position to respond with the speed required to respond to train malfunctions or incidents at grade crossings or assist emergency response personnel on an elevated highway crossing. The commenters noted that human factors are responsible for more than half of railroad accidents and think that a bigger crew would help ensure the safety of the train and the cargo it transports.

Technology

Freight and passenger rails employ different technologies to improve efficiency, enhance safety, and boost security. The rail industry lingo includes a variety of distinct terms and acronyms however, some of the most notable innovations include machine vision systems, instrumentsed rail inspection systems, driverless trains, rolling data centers, and drones that are not piloted (commonly known as drones).

Technology doesn't just replace some jobs. It empowers people to perform their jobs more effectively and with greater security. Railroads that transport passengers are using smartphone apps and contactless fare payment cards in order to boost ridership and improve the efficiency of the system. Other innovations like autonomous rail cars are moving closer to becoming reality.

The Federal Railroad Administration, as part of its ongoing efforts to improve safe affordable, reliable, and secure transportation in the United States, is focused on modernizing the railway infrastructure. This multi-billion dollar project will see bridges, tunnels, tracks and power systems upgraded and stations renovated or replaced. FRA's recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law will significantly expand the agency's rail improvements programs.

The agency's Office of Research, Development and Technology is a major element in this initiative. The National Academies' recent review of the office found that it was successful in keeping in touch with and using inputs from a variety of stakeholders. But it must concentrate on how its research helps the department achieve its primary objective of ensuring the safe movement of people and goods by rail.

One area where the agency might be able to increase its effectiveness is in identifying and supporting the advancement of automated train systems and technologies. The Association of American Railroads, the freight rail industry's primary association that focuses on research, policy, and standardization, has established a Technical Advisory Group on Autonomous Train Operations to help develop industry standards for implementing the technology.

FRA will be interested in the group's creation of an automated rail taxonomy, which is a system of standards to clearly and consistently define the different levels of automation that would be applicable to both on-road and rail transit vehicles. The agency will also need to understand the level of risk to safety that the industry sees with the introduction of fully automated operation and whether the industry is considering adding additional protections to minimize the risk.

Innovation

Railroads are using technology to boost worker safety and improve business processes. efficient, and ensure that the freight they move reaches its destination safely. These innovations vary from cameras and sensors that monitor freight, to new railcar designs which keep hazardous cargo safe during transport. Certain of these technologies allow railroads to send emergency responders directly to the scene of an accident to minimize the risk and damage to property and people.

One of the most well-known innovations in rail is Positive Train Control (PTC) which will prevent collisions between trains and trains, situations in which trains are on tracks where they shouldn't be and other accidents resulting from human errors. This system is a three-part process consisting of onboard locomotive systems that track the train, wayside networks that communicate with the locomotive and an enormous backend server that collects and analyzes data.

Passenger railroads also embrace technology to enhance safety and security. For instance, Amtrak is experimenting with drones to assist security personnel in locating passengers and other items onboard trains in case in an emergency. The company is also looking into different ways to use drones, such as using drones to conduct inspections of bridges and other infrastructure like replacing the lights on railway towers that could be hazardous for workers to climb.

Smart track technology is a different technology that can be utilized in railways for passengers. It can detect people or objects on tracks and alert drivers if it is unsafe to continue. These technologies are especially effective in detecting unsafe crossings or other issues during the evenings when traffic is less and there are less witnesses to an accident.

Telematics is another important technological breakthrough in the rail industry. It lets railways, shippers, and other stakeholders, to follow a traincar's progress in real-time. Traincar crews and operators will benefit from increased accountability and transparency which will allow them improve efficiency and avoid unnecessary maintenance. It will also help avoid delays when delivering freight.