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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 agencies involved in intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the secure and efficient transportation of people and goods. FRA field inspectors inspect the railroad track as well as train control and signal systems as well as operating procedures. fela federal employers liability act investigate complaints. Definition Federal railroads are rail transporters in the United States controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for the creation and enforcement of railway safety regulations, administers 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 is concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator. The agency is responsible for all passenger and freight transportation that is conducted through the nation's rail network. Additionally, the agency also supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates support from the federal government for rail transportation activities. In addition, 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 also include establishing through regulation and following an opportunity to comment the procedure through which anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security issues or deficiencies. In addition, the agency creates policies and conducts inspections in order to evaluate the compliance with its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines tracks signal and train control, motive power and machinery, operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings. The agency has the responsibility of ensuring that the railroad transportation system is secure, economical and environmentally sustainable. This is why the agency requires railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide adequate training for their employees. In addition, the agency sets and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public gets fair prices for their transportation services. In addition, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees, as well as protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also establishes an avenue for railroad employees to submit complaints regarding the conduct of their company. The agency's primary mission is to enable the secure, reliable, and efficient transportation of goods and people to ensure a secure America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this by regulating railroad safety, managing railroad assistance programs and conducting research that supports better safety of railroads and national rail transportation policies, coordinating and supporting the development of rail networks as well as helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were dominant in the market with little competition. As a result, railroads often misused their position in the market. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as and other regulatory agencies, to limit railroad monopolies' abuses. Purpose Federal railroads are federal institutions that make regulations, manage rail funds and conduct research to improve rail transport in the United States. It is responsible for both passenger and freight railroads, and manages the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding current railway infrastructure. Safety is the main responsibility in the field of rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and has several divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railroad operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of these with a staff of around 350. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track signal, 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 enhancing passenger and freight rail transportation, like the Northeast Corridor Future. The department also is responsible for grants that are made to railways and collaborates with other agencies in planning for the nation's rail requirements. The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws related to railroads and workers. This includes stopping railroads from discriminating against workers, and making sure that all railway employees injured are provided with transportation to the nearest hospital for initial aid treatment. It also prohibits railroads from refusing or delaying medical treatment for injured railway workers. The FRA is the primary regulator of the freight and passenger rail industries, however there are other organizations that manage the economic aspects of rail transport. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for establishing rates and managing economics in the sector. It has regulatory authority over mergers in the railroad industry and line sales, construction and abandonment. After an open consultation period, the agency is also responsible for establishing rules that will allow anyone to report any alleged safety issues with rail. Functions Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in developed countries as well as villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials from processing and manufacturing facilities, and finished goods from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Rail is an essential mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities like grains, oil and coal. In 2020, freight rail transported more than a quarter of the nation's total freight volume [PDF]. A federal railroad operates just like any other company, with departments for marketing and operations, sales, and an executive department. The marketing and sales department works with potential and existing customers as well as clients to determine what services they need and how much they should cost. The operations department then creates the rail services that satisfy those requirements at the cheapest cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and makes sure that every department is operating efficiently. The government offers support to the railways in a variety ways from grants to subsidised rates for government-owned transport. Congress also provides funds to build stations and tracks. These subsidies are usually in addition to the revenue the railroads receive from ticket sales and freight contracts. Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi-public, for-profit company with a huge shareholder that is the United States government. The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) primary task is to formulate and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains, as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on rail security to identify patterns, areas that need improvement or attention from regulators and to identify trends. FRA also participates in other projects to improve the safety and economy of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency is working to remove obstacles that could hinder railroads' introduction of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and on-board computers to stop the train automatically when it is too close to another vehicle or object. History In the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in the United States were constructed, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads helped speed up industrialization and brought more food products to markets in these regions. This allowed the country become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports. In the latter part of the nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing an “Golden Age,” during which many new trains that were more efficient were built and passenger travel via train became more popular. This was largely due to the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance, the government, gave homesteaders land grants to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to build 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, demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other modes of transportation such as airplanes and cars gained popularity, while regulations choked railroads competitiveness economically. A series of bankruptcies, service cuts and deferred maintenance followed. In addition, misguided federal railway regulation led to the decline of the railroad industry. Around 1970 the federal government started to ease the regulatory shackles on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee the economic aspects of the industry such as mergers and rates for railroads. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established to set rules for safety in rail and is one of the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation which oversees passenger and freight transportation. Since then, the railway 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). There are also efforts to develop more efficient systems for freight rail. FRA hopes to continue to work with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the coming years. FRA's mission is to ensure that the nation's transportation system runs as efficiently as is possible.