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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of DOT that are accountable for intermodal transportation. Its goal is to facilitate the safe and reliable transportation of goods and people. FRA field inspectors examine the railroad track as well as train control and signal systems as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints. Definition A federal railroad is a type of rail transport in the United States that is controlled by the federal government. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for the creation and enforcement of 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 are concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator. The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that is conducted through the nation's rail network. Additionally the agency is also involved in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates support from the federal government 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 manages federal rail transportation programs. The FRA's responsibilities are to establish through regulation, following the notice and comments are allowed, a process by anyone can make a complaint to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or shortcomings. In fela railroad settlements , the agency sets up policies and conducts inspections to assess the compliance of its rail safety regulations in six technical disciplines tracks signals and train control motive power and equipment operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings. The agency is tasked with the responsibility to make sure the rail transportation system is secure, economical and environmentally sustainable. As a result, the agency requires railroads to ensure an environment that is safe for workers and provide appropriate training for their employees. Additionally, the agency establishes and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public is receiving a fair rate for their transportation services. The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination towards railroad employees. They also shield whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also has an procedure through which railroad employees can make 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 stronger America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through regulating rail safety, managing programs to assist railroads conducting research to support better safety of railroads and national transportation policy and coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting private companies manage railroads. In the past, railroads were essentially monopolies that had no competition. The railroad industry was able to abuse its dominance in the market due to. Therefore, Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to curb the abuses of railroad monopolies. Purpose Federal railroads are federal institutions that make regulations, manage rail funds and conduct research to improve the rail system in the United America. It is responsible for 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 existing railway systems, ensuring ability of the rail industry to meet increasing demand for freight and travel, as well as providing leadership in regional and national system planning. The main responsibility of the federal government in the rail transportation industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a number of divisions that supervise the country's passenger and freight 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, which include track, signal, and train control, motive and equipment, operating procedures, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crosses. FRA has additional departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department oversees programs that aim at improving freight and passenger rail transportation, like the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is also responsible for the grants that are made to railways and collaborates with other agencies to develop plans for the nation's rail requirements. Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes stopping railroads from using their power to discriminate against workers and ensuring that all injured railway staff are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical care to injured railway employees. The FRA is the main regulator of the passenger and freight railway industries, but there are other organizations which manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for example is responsible for setting rates and governing the economics of the sector. It has regulatory authority over mergers in the railroad industry and line sales construction, and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of rules after a public input opportunity that allows anyone to submit complaints about rail safety violations to the agency. Functions Railroads transport goods and people to and from cities in developed countries as and remote villages in less-developed countries. They transport raw materials from manufacturing and processing facilities, and finished products from these facilities to warehouses or stores. Railroads are a critical form of transportation for many essential commodities, such as oil, coal and grains. In 2020, freight rail moved more than a quarter of the country's total freight volume [PDFThe PDF file contains. A federal railroad operates just like any other company, with departments for marketing, sales, operations and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales collaborates with potential and current customers to determine the type of rail services they need and the amount they should cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these requirements at the lowest price possible to earn money for railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and ensures that each department is operating efficiently. The government supports railways in a variety ways including grants, to subsidised rates for shipping government traffic. Congress also provides funds to help construct new tracks and stations. These subsidy funds are often added to the revenues that railroads receive through tickets and freight contracts. In the United States, the government has the railway for passengers, Amtrak. It is a quasi public for-profit corporation, which has the United States Government as a major stockholder. A major purpose of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is establishing and enforcing 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 the regulatory side and to track trends. FRA also participates in other projects that improve the safety and efficiency of railroad transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency seeks to eliminate obstacles that could hinder railroads' introduction of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a security technology that makes use of sensors and computers to stop a train in the event that it is too close to another object or vehicle. History In the 1820s and 1830s, the first railroads in America were built, mostly in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads increased industrialization and brought more food to markets in these regions. This helped the country become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports. In the latter part of the nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing a “Golden Age,” during which many new, more efficient rail lines were constructed and passenger travel via train became increasingly popular. The government's efforts in expanding the railroad system were an important factor. For instance, the government provided homesteaders land grants in order to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to construct the first transcontinental railroad which allowed passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days. However, in the first half of the 20th century, demand for passenger railroad services declined and other transportation options like airplanes and cars gained popularity, while stifling regulations hindered railroads' ability to compete economically. The industry was plagued by a string of bankruptcy as well as service cuts and delayed maintenance. Uninformed federal rail regulations also contributed to the decline. In the year 1970, the federal government began to ease the regulatory burdens on railroads. The Surface Transportation Board was established to oversee the economic aspects of the industry such as mergers and railroad rates. The Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates freight and passenger transport and sets safety standards for rail, was also created. Since then, the railway infrastructure of the United States has seen a lot of investment. The Northeast Corridor, for example has been renovated to accommodate faster, more modern high speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. There are also efforts to create 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. The role of FRA is to ensure that the nation's transport system is running as efficiently as possible.