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The Federal Railroad AdministrationThe Federal Railroad Administration is one of the 10 DOT agencies concerned with intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and reliable transportation of people and goods.FRA field inspectors regularly inspect railroad tracks, signals and train control systems, as and operating practices. They also investigate complaints.DefinitionA federal railroad is a railway in the United States that is controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) creates and enforces railway safety rules, oversees funds for railroads, and investigates ways to improve rail transportation systems. The FRA is one of the 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 transportation that uses the nation’s railway network. The agency also consolidates the federal funding for rail transportation and assists in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. The agency also regulates the ownership and operation of intermodal facilities, including tracks, right of way, equipment, real estate, and rolling stock. It also oversees federal rail transportation programs.The FRA’s duties include establishing, through regulation, after opportunity for notice and comment, a process by anyone can make a complaint to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or deficiencies. The agency also develops guidelines, conducts inspections and evaluates the compliance with its rail laws in six different technical disciplines, including track signal, track, and train control as well as motive power and equipment; operating practices; hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections.The agency is responsible of ensuring that the railway transportation system is operated in a safe, economic, and environmentally friendly manner. The agency also requires that railroads to maintain a safe workplace and provide adequate training to their employees. In addition, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public gets a fair rate for their transportation services.The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees. It also protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also has procedures for railroad employees can file complaints about the actions of the company.The main goal of the FRA is to ensure safe, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people for a strong America today and in the future. The FRA achieves this by overseeing the regulation of rail safety, managing programs to assist railroads and conducting research in support of improved railroad safety and national transportation policies and coordinating the development of rail networks and helping the private industry manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies that had no competition. In fela attorneys , the industry frequently abused its position in the marketplace. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as and other regulatory agencies, to limit the monopolies’ exploitation of railroads.PurposeThe federal railroad is a government agency that establishes regulations, manages rail funds and researches ways to improve the nation’s rail transportation system. It oversees both freight and passenger railroads and operates the nation’s rail infrastructure. It is one of the ten agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding current railway infrastructure.The primary responsibility of the government in the rail transportation industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and it has several divisions responsible for overseeing the country’s freight and passenger railway operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest with a staff of around 350. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections in six different technical disciplines, which include track, signalling, train control as well as motive and equipment operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings.FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This oversees the programs designed to improve passenger and freight railway transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for granting grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies in order to determine the nation’s rail requirements.Another essential duty of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws that pertain to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against employees and making sure that all injured railway staff are transported to the nearest hospital for treatment. Railroads are also prohibited from delay or refuse medical treatment for injured railway workers.The FRA is the main regulator for the rail passenger and freight industry, but other agencies oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for example 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 regulations after a public input opportunity, by which anyone may submit complaints about rail safety violations to the agency.FunctionsRailroads carry people and goods between cities in the developed countries as well as remote villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing factories, and the finished products from these factories to warehouses and stores. Rail is an essential mode of transportation for a number of essential commodities like grains, oil and coal. In 2020, freight railroads transported more than a quarter of all freight volumes in the United States [PDF].The federal railroad is managed just like other businesses. It has departments for marketing, sale, operations, and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales talks with customers and potential clients to determine the services they need and what they will cost. The operations department then develops the rail services that meet those needs at the lowest cost to generate revenue for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation, ensuring that every department is running smoothly.The government supports the railways in a variety ways, from grants to subsidized rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also provides funds to help construct new tracks and stations. These subsidies are often in addition to the revenues the railroads earn 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 primary purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is developing and enforcing safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical conditions of trains as well as the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on security of rail lines to identify patterns, areas that need improvement or regulatory attention and to identify trends.In addition to these core tasks, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the security and economy of rail transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA is working to eliminate barriers that could delay railroads in implementing positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that utilizes sensors and computers to stop a train automatically when it is too close to another object or vehicle.HistoryIn the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in America were constructed, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads significantly accelerated the industrialization process in these areas, and also brought more food products to the market. This development allowed the country to become more independent and less dependent on 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” during which new, more efficient rail lines were constructed and passenger travel became popular. This was in large part because of the government’s efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for instance granted land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to build the first transcontinental railway, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.In the first half century however, the demand for passenger rail services decreased, and other modes of transportation such as cars and planes gained in popularity. In the meantime, the stifling of regulation made it difficult for railroads to compete. The industry was plagued by a series of bankruptcies, service cuts, and delayed maintenance. In addition, misguided federal railway regulations led to the decline of the industry.In the year 1970 the federal government began to loosen the regulatory burdens on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also created, which sets rules for safety in rail and is one of the 10 agencies in 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 railroad infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, to accommodate more efficient and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There are also efforts to develop more efficient freight rail. FRA hopes to continue to work with all transportation agencies to ensure safe and reliable rails in the future. FRA’s mission is to ensure that the nation’s transport system runs as efficiently as possible.