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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the DOT's 10 departments involved in intermodal transportation. Its purpose is to ensure secure and reliable transportation of people and goods. FRA field inspectors inspect the railroad track signals, train control and track systems as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints. Definition Federal railroads are rail transporters in the United States controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations governing railways and regulates funds for railroads, and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division and its top executives are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator. The agency supervises all freight and passenger transportation that utilizes the nation's railway network. The agency also coordinates the federal funding for rail transportation and assists in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. The agency also regulates ownership and operation of intermodal facilities, like tracks, rights of way, equipment, real estate, and rolling stock. It also oversees federal rail transportation programs. The FRA's responsibilities are to establish through regulation, after notification and comment the procedure by anyone can report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or deficiencies. The agency also develops policies, conducts inspections, and assesses compliance with its railroad laws in six technical disciplines, including track signals, track and train control; motive power and equipment; operating procedures; hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections. The agency has the responsibility of making sure that the railroad transportation system is operating in a secure, efficient and sustainable manner. The agency also demands that railroads maintain a safe work environment and provide adequate training for their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is billed fair prices for transportation services. The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and implements rules to prevent discrimination towards railroad employees. The agency also safeguards whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also has procedures for railroad employees can file complaints against the company's actions. The main goal of the FRA is to ensure the secure, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America both now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this through overseeing the regulation of rail safety, managing programs to assist railroads, conducting research in support of better safety of railroads and national transportation policies and coordinating the development of rail networks and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were essentially monopolies, with no competition. In the end, the industry frequently abused its position in the marketplace. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as along with other regulatory agencies, to limit railroad monopolies' abuses. Purpose The federal railroad is a federal agency that makes regulations, manages funds for rail and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It is responsible for both passenger and freight railroads, and operates the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of 10 agencies within 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 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 railway industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is responsible for this, and has several divisions that oversee the country's freight and passenger railroad operations. The Office of Railroad Safety is the largest, with around 350 inspectors. It is responsible for conducting safety inspections across six technical disciplines, including track, signalling, and train control as well as motive and equipment operating procedures, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings. FRA has other departments, including 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. This department also is in charge of the grants that help railways, and it collaborates with other agencies to develop plans for the nation's rail requirements. The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws that pertain to railroads and their 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 first aid treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from refusing or delaying medical treatment for injured railway workers. The FRA is the primary regulator of 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 economics of the sector. It is also responsible for regulating mergers in the railroad industry and line sales construction, and abandonment. After a period of public consultation the agency is responsible for establishing rules that permit anyone to file a complaint about any alleged rail safety violations. Functions Rails transport goods and people from and to cities in the developed world as and villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories, and then the final products from these facilities to stores and warehouses. fela railroad settlements are an essential mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, such as oil, coal and grains. In 2020, freight railroads transported more than a quarter of the freight volumes in the United America [PDF]. The federal railroad is run just like other businesses. It has departments for marketing and 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 how much they will cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these needs at the cheapest cost to make money for railroads. The executive department oversees the entire operation and makes sure that each department is running efficiently. The government helps the railways by a variety of ways such as grants and subsidised rates on government traffic. Congress also provides funds to help build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often a part of the money that railroads earn through tickets and freight contracts. Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi-public for profit company with a huge stockholder, which is the United States government. A major function of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains and the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also gathers and analyzes data on rail safety in order to identify trends and areas that may need improved or increased regulatory attention. FRA also works on other projects to improve the economy and safety of rail transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA is working to remove obstacles that could hinder railroads' implementation of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is an emergency safety system that utilizes sensors and computers on board to stop the train when it gets too close to another vehicle or object. History In the 1820s-1830s the first railroads in America were built, primarily in New England and Mid-Atlantic. Railroads helped speed up industrialization and brought more food items to the market in these regions. This made the country more independent and less dependent on imports. In the latter half of the nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing an “Golden Age,” during which many new railway lines that were more efficient were constructed and passenger travel via train became popular. This was largely because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For instance, the government provided land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to settle in the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also partnered to construct the first transcontinental railway, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just 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 the stifling of regulations hampered railroads' ability to compete economically. A series of bankruptcies, service cuts and deferred maintenance were the result. In addition, a misguided railroad regulations from the federal government contributed to the decline of the industry. In the year 1970, the federal authorities began to ease the regulations governing railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic matters like 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 within the U.S. Department of Transportation which oversees passenger and freight transportation. Since then, a large deal of investment has been made in the nation's railroad infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor, for example, has been rebuilt to accommodate more efficient, faster and modern high speed ground transportation (HSGT) trains. Efforts have also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its partnership with all transportation agencies in order to ensure safe and reliable railroads. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as is possible.