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The Federal Railroad Administration<br>
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The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT that are accountable for intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the safe and reliable transportation of people and goods.<br>
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FRA field inspectors inspect the railroad track signals, <A HREF=https://m1bar.com/user/JasonGregson01/>fela Accident law Services</A> train control and track systems, as well as operating practices. They also investigate complaints.<br>
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Definition<br>
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Federal railroads are the rail carriers in the United States controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) establishes and enforces safety regulations, manages funds for railroads, and investigates 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 are concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.<br>
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The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that uses the railway network of the United States. In addition the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates the government's support for rail transportation. The agency also regulates ownership and operation of intermodal facilities, such as tracks, right of way, equipment, real estate and rolling stock. It also coordinates federal rail transportation programs.<br>
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FRA's responsibilities include establishing through regulation, following an opportunity for notice and comment an avenue through which any person may report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or inconsistencies. The agency also develops guidelines, conducts inspections and reviews compliance with its railroad laws in six technical disciplines, including track signals, track and train control locomotive power and equipment; operating practices hazardous materials and highway-rail grade intersections.<br>
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The agency is responsible of making sure that the railroad transportation system is operating in a safe, economic and sustainable manner. In turn, the agency requires railroads to provide a safe working environment and provide appropriate training for their employees. The agency also sets and enforces railroad prices to ensure that the public is charged fair prices for transportation services.<br>
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Additionally to that, the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces regulations to prevent discrimination against railroad employees, and protect whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad carriers. The agency also has an procedure through which railroad employees can make complaints about the actions of the company.<br>
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The agency's primary mission is to facilitate the secure, reliable, and efficient movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America today and into the future. The FRA accomplishes this through controlling safety of railroads, coordinating programs for assistance to railroads conducting research to help better safety of railroads and national rail transportation policies and coordination, as well as supporting the development of a rail network, and helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads dominated the market, with very little competition. The railroad industry took advantage of its dominant position in the market as a result. Hence, Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to curb the abuses of railroad monopolies.<br>
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Purpose<br>
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Federal railroads are government-owned agencies that establish regulations, manage rail funds and conduct research to improve the rail system in the United States. It supervises 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 the existing railroad systems.<br>
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The main responsibility of the federal government in the railway industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and has several divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest of them, with around 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track signalling, train control equipment and motives operating procedures, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings.<br>
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FRA has several departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It is responsible for the programs that aim to improve passenger and freight rail transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. The department also is responsible for the grants that railways and works with other agencies to develop plans for the country's rail needs.<br>
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Another important duty of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. 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 first aid treatment. It also prohibits railroads to delay or refuse medical treatment for injured railway workers.<br>
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The FRA is the primary regulator of the rail passenger and freight industry, but other organizations manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for instance, is in charge of setting rates and managing the financial aspects of the industry. It is the regulatory authority for railroad mergers, line-sales construction and abandonment. After the public consultation period the agency is accountable for establishing regulations that permit anyone to report any alleged safety issues with rail.<br>
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Functions<br>
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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 to processing and manufacturing factories, and the finished products from those facilities to warehouses and stores. Rail is an essential mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities like grain, oil and coal. In 2020, freight rail moved more than a quarter of nation's total freight volume [PDF].<br>
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A federal railroad operates just like any other company with departments for marketing, operations, sales, and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales works with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they need and the amount they should cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these needs at the lowest price possible to generate revenue for railroads. The executive department is responsible for the entire operation, ensuring that every department is operating efficiently.<br>
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The government helps the railways with a variety methods that include grants and subsidized rates for government traffic. Congress also provides funds to help build new track and stations. These subsidies are often a part of the money that railroads earn through ticket sales and freight contracts.<br>
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In the United States, the government has the passenger railway Amtrak. It is a quasi-public for profit corporation with a large stockholder, which is the United States government.<br>
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A key function of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical state of trains, as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects data on rail security to identify trends and areas that require improvement or regulatory attention and to track trends.<br>
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FRA also works on other projects that help improve the safety and economy of rail transportation in the United States. For example, the agency is working to remove obstacles that could hinder 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 automatically when it is too close to an object or vehicle.<br>
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History<br>
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The nation's first railroads 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 to the market. This helped the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent upon imports from abroad, which helped to foster a strong economic base.<br>
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In the latter part of the 19th century the railroad industry experienced the benefits of a "Golden Age" that saw new, more efficient raillines were built and passenger transportation became popular. This was in large part because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. The government, for example, gave land grants to homesteaders in order to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to build the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days.<br>
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However in the first half of the 20th century, the demand for passenger railroad <a href="https://www.accidentinjurylawyers.claims/compensation/railroad-accident-... Accident Law Services</a> decreased and other transportation options like airplanes and cars gained popularity, while regulations hampered railroads in their ability to compete economically. The industry was plagued by a string of bankruptcy as well as service cuts and delayed maintenance. In addition, misguided federal railway regulations caused the decline of the railroad industry.<br>
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Around 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 established, which is responsible for establishing rail safety regulations and is among the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation which oversees passenger and freight transportation.<br>
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<img src="https://www.accidentinjurylawyers.claims/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/engi... style="max-width:430px;float:left;padding:10px 10px 10px 0px;border:0px;">Since then, a great deal of investment has been made in the country's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to accommodate more efficient and modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to improve the efficiency of freight rail systems. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure the safety and reliability of rails in the future. FRA's mission is to ensure that the nation's transport system runs as efficiently as it can.