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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of the DOT which are responsible for intermodal transportation. Its purpose is to ensure the safe and secure movement of goods and people. FRA field inspectors regularly check railroad track, signal and train control systems as well as operating practices. They also investigate complaints. Definition A federal railroad is a railway in the United States that is controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations governing railways, administers railroad funds, and conducts research to improve railway transportation. The FRA is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's intermodal transportation division and its chief officers are the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator. The agency is responsible for all freight and passenger transport that is made possible by the railway system of the United States. The agency also consolidates government funding for rail transportation and supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor passenger service. Additionally, the agency oversees the ownership and operation of all intermodal facilities, such as tracks, right-of-way equipment, real property and rolling stock, and provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs. The FRA's responsibilities are to establish through regulation, after notification 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 establishes policies, conducts inspections, and reviews the compliance of its railroad laws in six technical disciplines, which include track, signal, and train control as well as motive power and equipment; operating practices; hazmat and highway-rail grade intersections. The agency has the responsibility of ensuring that the rail transportation system is safe, efficient and sustainable. As a result, the agency requires railroads to ensure an environment that is safe for workers and provide appropriate training for their employees. The agency also determines and enforces the cost of railroad services to ensure that the public is charged in a fair manner for transportation services. The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to prevent discrimination towards railroad employees. The agency also safeguards whistleblowers from retaliation from railroad companies. The agency also sets up an avenue for railroad employees to file complaints about the company's conduct. The primary goal of the agency is to ensure the safe, reliable and efficient movement of goods and people to ensure a secure America now and in future. The FRA accomplishes this through controlling safety of railroads, coordinating programs for assistance to railroads conducting research to help improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policies, coordinating and supporting the development of a rail network and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were dominant in the market, with very little competition. The railroad industry abused its dominant position in the market, resulting in. Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as other regulatory agencies, to limit the monopolies' exploitation of railroads. Purpose Federal railroads are government agencies that establish rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transportation in the United States. It operates the rail infrastructure of the United States and oversees freight and passenger railroads. It is one of ten agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also charged with maintaining and expanding the current railway systems, ensuring capability of the railroad industry to meet growing travel and freight demands and providing leadership in national and regional system planning. The government's primary responsibility in the railway industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a variety of divisions that oversee the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The most important of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, which is home to around 350 safety inspectors and is responsible for conducting inspections that determine compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines including track signals, train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat and highway-rail grade crossings. FRA has additional departments that include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. This department is responsible for programs aimed to improve passenger and freight railway transport, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for granting grants given to railways and works with other agencies to determine the nation's rail requirements. Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws that pertain to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads to discriminate against workers and ensuring that all injured railway staff are taken to the nearest hospital to receive treatment. It also prohibits railroads from refusing or delaying medical care to injured railway workers. The FRA is the main regulator for the rail passenger and freight industry, but other agencies manage the economic aspects of rail transportation. fela settlements , for instance, is in charge of setting rates and governing the economics of the sector. It has regulatory authority over railroad mergers and line sales construction, and abandonment. Other responsibilities include the establishment of regulations after a public input opportunity that allows anyone to complain about alleged safety violations to the agency. Functions Rails transport people and goods from and to cities in developed countries as also to villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing factories, and the finished products from these facilities to warehouses and stores. Railroads are a critical form of transportation for many vital commodities, including coal, oil, and grains. In 2020, freight railroads transported more than a quarter of all freight volume in the United States [PDFThe PDF file contains more information about. Federal railroads function like any other business with departments for marketing, operations, sales, and an executive department. The department of marketing and sales works with potential and existing customers as well as clients to determine what services they require and how much they should cost. The operations department then develops rail services that meet these requirements 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. The government provides support to railways through a variety of methods that include grants and subsidized rates on government-owned traffic. Congress also provides funds to build new stations and tracks. These subsidies are often a part of 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. A major role of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is to develop and enforce safety regulations for railroads. This involves regulating the mechanical condition of trains, as well as the safety and health of railroad employees. FRA also collects and analyzes information on rail safety to identify trends and areas that may require more or better regulatory attention. In addition to these fundamental duties, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the security and economy of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, the agency seeks to eliminate obstacles that might hinder railroads' introduction of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety technology that uses sensors and computers to stop a train automatically when it is too close to another vehicle or object. History In the 1820s-1830s, the first railroads in the United States were built, primarily in New England and Mid-Atlantic. The railroads increased industrialization and brought more food products to markets in these regions. This development allowed the country to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports from abroad, which contributed to a stronger economic base. In the latter half of the nineteenth century the railroad industry was experiencing an “Golden Age,” during which many new trains that were more efficient were constructed and passenger travel via train became increasingly popular. This was in large part because of the government's efforts to expand the railroad system. For example the government provided homesteaders land grants to encourage them to move to the West and the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads worked together to complete the first transcontinental railroad, which allowed travel from New York to San Francisco in just six days. However in the first half of the 20th century, demand for passenger railroad services decreased and other transportation options like automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while the stifling of regulations hindered railroads in their ability to compete economically. The industry was plagued by a string of bankruptcy service cuts, bankruptcy, and delayed maintenance. The misguided federal rail regulations 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 economic aspects of the industry such as mergers and railroad rates. The Federal Railroad Administration, which regulates freight and passenger transport and sets rail safety standards, was also created. Since then, the infrastructure of the railroads of the United America has seen a great deal of investment. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, to accommodate faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There are also efforts to create more efficient systems for freight rail. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the near future. The agency's role is to ensure that the nation's transport system runs as efficiently as is possible.