What Freud Can Teach Us About Federal Railroad

The Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 departments that deal with intermodal transportation. Its purpose is to ensure safe and reliable transportation of both people and goods.

FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track signals, train control and track systems as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints.

Definition

A federal railroad is a rail carrier in the United States that is controlled by the government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations for railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that are concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.

The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transportation that utilizes the nation's railway network. The agency also consolidates government 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.  fela lawsuits  coordinates federal rail transportation programs.

The FRA's responsibilities also include the establishment, through regulation and after an opportunity to comment, a procedure by which anyone can notify the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or issues. The agency also develops policies, conducts inspections and evaluates compliance with its rail laws in six different technical disciplines, which include track signal, track, and train control locomotive power and equipment; operating practices hazardous materials and highway-rail grade intersections.

The agency is tasked with the responsibility to make sure the railroad transportation system is secure, economical and environmentally sustainable. As a result, the agency requires railroads to maintain an environment that is safe for workers and provide adequate training for their employees. The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is charged fair prices for transportation services.

The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees. It also protects whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad companies. The agency also has a procedure by which railroad employees can file complaints against the company's actions.

The primary goal of the agency is to ensure safe, reliable and effective movement of goods and people for a strong America now and in future. The FRA achieves this by controlling safety of railroads, coordinating programs for assistance to railroads, conducting research to support the improvement of safety for railroads and national rail transportation policy and coordination, as well as supporting the development of rail networks and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were large monopolies, with no 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 the monopolies' exploitation of railroads.

Purpose

Federal railroads are government agencies that set regulations, manage rail funds and conduct research to improve the rail system in the United States. It oversees both freight and passenger railroads and operates the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also tasked with maintaining and expanding existing rail systems, as well as ensuring the capability of the railroad industry to meet the growing travel and freight demands and providing leadership in national and regional system planning.

Safety is the government's main responsibility in rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a number of divisions that supervise the country's freight and passenger railroad operations. The most important of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, which has around 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections to determine compliance with the regulations in six technical disciplines that include track signals, train control, motive power and equipment, operating procedures hazardous materials and highway-rail grade crossings.

FRA has several departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This oversees the programs that aim to improve freight and passenger rail transportation, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants given to railways, and collaborates with other agencies in order to plan the nation's railway requirements.

Another essential duty of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws regarding railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminate against employees and making sure that railway workers injured are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. Additionally, railroads are prohibited from refusing or delaying medical care to injured railway workers.

The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger railway industries, but there are other agencies that manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for example is responsible for setting rates and governing the financial aspects of the industry. It has regulatory authority over mergers in the railroad industry and line sales, construction and abandonment. After the public consultation period the agency is accountable for establishing regulations that will allow anyone to file a complaint about any alleged safety issues with rail.

Functions

Railroads transport goods and people to and from cities in the developed nations, as also remote villages in less developed countries. They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing plants, and finished products from those facilities to stores and warehouses. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for many essential commodities, including coal, oil and grains. In 2020, freight rail transported over a quarter of the nation's total freight volumes [PDF(PDF).

Federal railroads function like any other business, with departments for marketing, operations, sales, and an executive department. The marketing and sales department collaborates with potential and current customers to determine the kind of rail services they need and what those services should cost. The operations department then creates the rail services that satisfy those needs at the lowest cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department oversees the entire operation, ensuring that every department is running smoothly.

The government helps the railways with a variety ways that include grants and subsidized rates on government traffic. Congress also provides funds to help build and maintain stations and tracks. These subsidies are often added to the money that railroads earn through tickets and freight contracts.

In the United States, the government owns the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi public for-profit company, with the United States Government as a major stockholder.

The primary function of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical condition of trains, as well as the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes data on rail safety to identify patterns and areas that might require more or better regulation.

FRA also works on other projects that improve the economy and safety of railroad transportation in the United States. The agency, for example, aims to reduce the obstacles that hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and computers on board to stop the train when it is too close to another vehicle or object.

History

The nation's first railroads were built in the 1820s and 1830s, largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Railroads significantly accelerated industrialization in these areas, and also brought more food to the market. This helped the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports from abroad, which in turn helped to foster a strong economic base.

In the late 19th century the railroad industry experienced an "Golden Age" during which new, more efficient rail lines were built and passenger travel became popular. The government's efforts in expanding the railroad system were a major factor. For example the government offered homesteaders land grants to encourage them to move to the West, and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads joined forces to construct the first transcontinental railroad which allowed travel from New York to San Francisco in just six days.

However in the early part of the 20th century, the demand for passenger railroad services declined and other modes of transportation such as automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while the stifling of regulations choked railroads' ability to compete economically. The industry was plagued by a series of bankruptcy as well as service cuts and deferred maintenance. The misguided federal rail regulations contributed to the decline.

In the year 1970, the federal government began loosening the restrictions on railroads' regulatory requirements. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic matters such as railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates freight and passenger transport and sets standards for rail safety, was also created.

Since then, the railway infrastructure of the United America has seen a great deal of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to accommodate more efficient and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). Efforts have 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 the safety and reliability of railroads. The role of FRA is to ensure that the nation's transportation system is running as efficiently as it can.