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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT which are responsible for intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the secure and efficient transportation of people and goods. FRA field inspectors regularly inspect railroad tracks, signals and train control systems as well as 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 regulations governing railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve railway transportation. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division and its top executives are the Administrator as well as the Deputy Administrator. The agency is responsible for all passenger and freight transportation that utilizes the nation's railway network. The agency also coordinates the funding provided by the federal government for rail transportation and supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor passenger service. In addition, the agency oversees the management and ownership of all intermodal facilities, such as tracks, rights-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 following an opportunity to comment an procedure that anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or deficiencies. Additionally, the FRA establishes policies and conducts inspections to assess compliance with 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 tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the railroad 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. The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is billed fairly for transportation services. In addition to that, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad employees, and also protects whistleblowers from being retaliated against by railroad carriers. The agency also sets up a complaint procedure for railroad employees to submit complaints about the company's conduct. The main goal of the agency is to ensure the secure, reliable, and efficient transportation of goods and people to ensure a secure America, now and in the future. The FRA achieves this by overseeing the regulation of rail safety, managing programs for assistance to railroads conducting research to support improving safety in the railroad industry and national transportation policy, coordinating rail networking development and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market with no competition. In the end, the industry often abused its position in the market. Hence, Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to curb the abuses committed by railroad monopolies. Purpose Federal railroads are government-owned institutions that make regulations, manage rail funds and conduct research to improve the rail system in the United America. It oversees 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 responsible for maintaining and expanding current railway infrastructure. Security is the primary responsibility when it comes to rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a number of divisions that supervise the country's freight and passenger railway operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest with approximately 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections in six different technical disciplines, including track, signal, and train control, motive and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings. FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs aimed at improving freight and passenger rail transport, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department also is responsible for the grants that railways and works with other agencies in planning for the nation's rail needs. The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws pertaining to railroads and workers. This includes preventing railroads from discriminating against employees, and making sure that all railway employees injured are provided with transportation to the nearest hospital for initial aid treatment. Railroads are also prohibited from delay or refuse medical treatment for injured railway workers. The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries, but there are other organizations that oversee the economic aspects of rail transport. The Surface Transportation Board, for example, is in charge of setting rates and governing the economics of the sector. It has regulatory authority on railroad mergers, line-sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of a process through regulations, following an opportunity for public input and participation, where anyone can complain about alleged safety violations to the agency. Functions Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in developed countries as also to villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and then finished products from these facilities to stores or warehouses. Rail is an essential mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, including oil, grains, and coal. In 2020, freight rail carried more than a quarter of nation's total freight volume [PDF(PDF). The federal railroad is run like any other business. It has departments for marketing, operations, sales, and an executive department. The marketing and sales department talks with customers and potential clients to determine what services they need and how much they should cost. The operations department then creates rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost possible to earn money for railroad. The executive department oversees the entire operation and makes sure that each department is operating efficiently. The government supports railways in a variety ways, from grants to subsidized rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also provides money to build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often in addition to the revenue the railroads receive from tickets and freight contracts. In the United States, the government is the owner of the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for profit corporation with a significant stockholder that is the United States government. A major function of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical condition of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also gathers and analyzes information on rail safety to identify trends and areas that may need improved or increased regulatory attention. In addition to these primary tasks, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the security and economy of rail transportation in the United States. For example, the agency aims to reduce barriers that could delay railroads' introduction of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a security technology that makes use of sensors and computers on board to stop a train in the event that it is too close to an object or vehicle. History The first railroads in the United States were built in the 1820s and 1830s, mostly in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in those areas, and also brought more food products to the market. This allowed the country to become more independent and less dependent on imports from abroad, which resulted in a solid economic base. In the late 19th century the railroad industry experienced an “Golden Age” in which new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger travel became popular. This was in large part because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance, the government provided land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to settle in the West. fela attorneys and Union Pacific Railroads also partnered to build the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days. However in the early part of the 20th century, demand for passenger railroad services decreased and other transportation options like cars and airplanes gained popularity, while the stifling of regulations hampered railroads in their ability to compete economically. A series of bankruptcies and service cuts, and deferred maintenance followed. In addition, misguided railroad regulations from the federal government led to the demise of the industry. Around the year 1970 the federal government started to ease the regulatory burdens on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic matters like 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 of the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation. Since then, a large amount of investment has been made in the country's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example was rebuilt to accommodate more efficient, faster and modern high speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. The effort has also been made to develop more efficient freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its collaboration with all transportation agencies to ensure safe and reliable railroads. The role of FRA is to ensure that the nation's transportation system is running as efficiently as possible.