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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 efficient transportation of people and goods. FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad track, signal and train control 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. 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, and its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator. The agency supervises all freight and passenger transportation that is conducted through the nation's rail network. The agency also consolidates the federal funding for rail transportation and assists in the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor passenger service. Additionally, the agency oversees the ownership and operation of all intermodal facilities such as tracks, rights-of-way, equipment real property, and rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs. FRA's duties also include establishing through regulation, and after an opportunity to comment, a procedure by which anyone can report to the Secretary Homeland Security any railroad security problems or deficiencies. The agency also develops policies, conducts inspections, and reviews the compliance of its rail laws in six different technical disciplines, which include track signals, track and train control; motive power and equipment; operating procedures; hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections. The agency is tasked with the responsibility to make sure the railroad transportation system is safe, economical, and environmentally friendly. As a result, the agency requires railroads to maintain an environment that is safe for workers and provide the appropriate training to their employees. Additionally, the agency establishes and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public gets fair prices for their transportation services. Additionally the Federal Railroad Administration enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination against railroad workers, and protect whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad carriers. The agency also has a complaint procedure for railroad employees to file complaints regarding the conduct of their company. The primary goal of the agency is to ensure the safe, reliable and efficient transportation of people and goods for a strong America now and in future. The FRA achieves this by controlling safety of railroads, coordinating railroad assistance programs, conducting research to support better safety of railroads and national rail transportation policies as well as coordinating and assisting with the development of a rail network as well as helping the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies, with no competition. The railroad industry took advantage of its dominant position in the market as a result. Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission, as along with other regulatory agencies, to limit railroad monopolies' abuses. Purpose Federal railroads are government agencies that set rules, regulate rail funds and conduct research to improve rail transportation in the United States. It oversees both freight and passenger railroads and operates the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding current rail systems, ensuring the ability of the rail industry to meet growing demand for freight and travel, as well as providing leadership in national and regional system planning. Safety is the government's main responsibility in the field of rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and it has several divisions that manage the country's freight and passenger railway operations. The largest of them is the Office of Railroad Safety, which is home to approximately 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections to determine compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines including track, signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating procedures hazardous materials and highway-rail grade crossings. FRA has various departments, including the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It is responsible for the programs designed to improve passenger and freight rail transportation, such as the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for the grants given to railways and works with other agencies in order to determine the nation's rail requirements. The FRA also has a duty to enforce federal laws related to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminate against workers and making sure that injured railway employees are transported to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. fela lawsuit settlements prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical care to injured railway workers. The FRA is the primary regulator of the passenger and freight rail industry, however other agencies manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. The Surface Transportation Board, for instance is responsible for setting rates and governing the economics of the sector. It is also responsible for regulating railroad mergers lines sales, construction and abandonment. Other responsibilities include establishing rules after a public input opportunity that allows anyone to complain about alleged safety violations to the agency. Functions Railroads transport goods and people between cities in the developed nations, as and remote villages in less-developed countries. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing factories, and the finished products from these factories to warehouses and stores. Rail is a crucial mode of transportation for a variety of essential commodities, including grains, oil, and coal. In 2020, freight rail transported over a quarter of the country's total freight volume [PDFThe PDF file contains. Federal railroads operate as a business just like other businesses with departments for marketing and operations, sales and an executive department. The department for marketing and sales works with potential and existing customers as well as clients to determine what services they need and what they need to cost. The operations department then produces the rail services that satisfy those requirements at the cheapest cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department oversees the entire operation and ensures that each department is operating efficiently. The government provides support to the railways in various ways from grants to subsidised rates for government-owned transport. Congress also provides money to support and build stations and tracks. These subsidy funds are often added to the revenue that railroads receive through ticket sales and freight contracts. Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi public for-profit corporation, with the United States Government as a major stockholder. The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) main function is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This includes regulating the mechanical properties of trains, as well as the health and safety of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes data on rail safety to identify patterns and areas that might need improved or increased regulatory attention. FRA also works on other projects that help improve the safety and efficiency of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA is working to eliminate obstacles that can hinder railroads in adopting positive train control (PTC). PTC is a security technology that utilizes sensors and computers to stop a train automatically when it is too close to another object or vehicle. History The first railroads in the United States were built in the 1820s and 1830s largely in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. The railroads increased industrialization and brought more food products to market in these areas. This allowed the country to become more independent and less dependent on foreign imports, which helped to foster a strong economic base. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the railroad industry experienced 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 to expand the railroad system were a major factor. The government, for instance granted homesteaders land grants in order to encourage them to move to the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also worked together to build the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days. However in the first half of the 20th century, the demand for passenger railroad services declined and other modes of transport like cars and airplanes gained popularity, while stifling regulations choked railroads' ability to compete economically. The industry was plagued by a series of bankruptcies as well as service cuts and delayed maintenance. In addition, misguided railroad regulations from the federal government caused the demise of the industry. Around 1970 the federal government started to ease the regulatory shackles on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic matters like railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established, which is responsible for establishing rail safety regulations and is one of 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation. Since then, the railroad infrastructure of the United States has seen a lot of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, to allow for faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There are also efforts to create more efficient systems for freight rail. In the future, FRA hopes to continue its partnership with all transportation agencies in order to ensure the safety and reliability of railroads. It is the agency's job to ensure that the nation's transportation system is as efficient as it can be.