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The Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration is one of the 10 DOT agencies involved in intermodal transportation. Its purpose is to ensure the safe and reliable movement of people and goods. FRA field inspectors routinely inspect railroad tracks, signals and train control 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. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces regulations governing railways as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. The FRA is one of the 10 agencies within the U.S. Department of Transportation that is concerned with intermodal transportation. Its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator. The agency oversees all passenger and freight transportation that is conducted through the nation's rail network. In addition, the agency also supports the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor rail passenger service and consolidates government support for rail transportation activities. The agency also regulates the 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, following an opportunity for notice and comment the procedure by which any person may make a complaint to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security issues or deficiencies. In fela claims , the agency establishes policies and conducts inspections to assess the compliance with its rail safety laws in six technical disciplines tracks signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices, hazmat, and highway-rail grade crossings. The agency is in charge of making sure that the railroad transportation system is operated in a secure, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner. The agency also requires that railroads to maintain a safe workplace and provide adequate training for their employees. In addition, the agency sets and enforces railroad rates to ensure that the public gets an equitable price for their transportation services. The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and enforces rules to stop discrimination towards railroad employees. It also protects whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also sets up an avenue for railroad employees to make complaints regarding the conduct of their company. The agency's primary mission is to facilitate the secure reliable and efficient movement of people and goods to ensure a secure America today and into the future. The FRA accomplishes this through controlling safety of railroads, coordinating railroad assistance programs and conducting research that supports improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policy as well as coordinating and assisting with the development of a rail network and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were huge monopolies with little competition. The railroad industry abused its dominance in the market, resulting in. Hence, Congress established the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to curb the abuses committed by railroad monopolies. Purpose The federal railroad is a government agency that sets regulations, manages rail funds and studies ways to improve the nation's rail transport system. It supervises passenger and freight railroads, and manages the nation's rail infrastructure. It is one of ten agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also responsible for maintaining and expanding the existing rail infrastructure. The government's primary responsibility in the rail transportation industry is safety. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is in charge of this, and has several divisions responsible for overseeing the country's passenger and freight railway operations. The most important of these is the Office of Railroad Safety, with about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections that determine compliance with the regulations in six technical disciplines including track signals, train control, motive power and equipment, operating practices as well as hazmat and highway rail grade crossings. FRA has additional departments which include the Office of Railroad Policy and Development. It is responsible for the programs designed to improve freight and passenger rail transportation, including the Northeast Corridor Future. This department is responsible for granting grants for railways and collaborates with other agencies in order to plan the nation's rail requirements. Another important function of the FRA is the enforcement of federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes stopping railroads from using their power to discriminate against workers and making sure that injured railway employees are taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from denying or delaying medical care to injured railway workers. The FRA is the main regulator of the freight and passenger rail industries, but there are other agencies that oversee the economic aspects of rail transport. The Surface Transportation Board, for example, is in charge of setting rates and managing the financial aspects of the industry. 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 allow anyone to file a complaint about any alleged safety issues with rail. Functions Railroads transport goods and people to and from cities in developed nations, as well as remote villages in less-developed countries. They transport raw materials to manufacturing and processing plants, and finished products from these facilities to stores and warehouses. Railroads are an essential mode of transportation for many vital commodities, such as coal, oil, and grains. In 2020, freight railroads carried more than a quarter of the freight volumes in the United States [PDFThe PDF file contains more information about. The federal railroad is run as a business. 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 type of rail services they need and the amount they should cost. The operations department then creates the rail services that meet those requirements at the cheapest cost to earn money for the railroad. The executive department supervises the entire operation and ensures that every department is operating efficiently. The government provides support to railways through a variety of methods, including grants and subsidized rates for government traffic. Congress also provides funds to build stations and tracks. These subsidies are often added to the money that railroads earn through ticket sales and freight contracts. Amtrak is owned by the United States government. It is a quasi-public, for-profit corporation with a large stockholder that is the United States government. The primary function 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 trends, areas that need improvement or attention from regulators and to identify trends. FRA also works on other projects that improve the safety and economy of rail transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA aims to reduce barriers that might hinder railroads' introduction of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety system that uses sensors and on-board computers to stop the train automatically when it is too close to another vehicle or other object. History In the 1820s and 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 to markets in these regions. This allowed the country become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports. In the late nineteenth century the railroad industry went through an “Golden Age,” during which many new trains that were more efficient were built, and passenger travel by train became more popular. The government's efforts to expand the railroad system were an important reason. The government, for example granted homesteaders land grants to encourage them to settle the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also partnered to construct the first transcontinental railroad which allowed travelers to travel from New York City to San Francisco within six days. In the first half century, however, the demand for rail passenger services declined, and other modes of transportation like planes and automobiles gained in popularity. Meanwhile, stifling regulation hindered railroads' ability to compete. The industry was plagued by a succession of bankruptcy, service cuts, and deferred maintenance. The misguided federal rail regulations contributed to the decline. Around the year 1970 the federal government began to loosen the regulatory burdens on railroads. Surface Transportation Board was created to oversee economic aspects like railroad rates and mergers. The Federal Railroad Administration was also established to set rail safety regulations and is one of the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation that oversees freight and passenger transportation. Since then, a large deal of investment has been made in the country's railroad infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt for instance, in order to allow for faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). The effort has also been made to create more efficient freight rail systems. FRA hopes to continue to work with all transportation agencies to ensure reliable and safe rails in the coming years. It is the responsibility of FRA to help make sure that the nation's transportation system operates as efficiently as possible.