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The Federal Railroad AdministrationThe Federal Railroad Administration is among the 10 agencies of DOT that are accountable for intermodal transportation. Its mission is enabling the safe and efficient transportation of people and goods.FRA field inspectors regularly check railroad tracks, signals and train control systems as well as operating procedures. They also investigate complaints.DefinitionA federal railroad is a rail carrier in the United States that is controlled by the federal government. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, creates and enforces railway regulations as well as manages funds from railroads and conducts research to improve the efficiency of rail transportation. The FRA is one of 10 agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation which is responsible for intermodal transportation, and its chief executive officers are the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.The agency oversees all freight and passenger transport that utilizes the nation's railway network. The agency also consolidates the funding provided by the federal government for rail transportation, and helps with the rehabilitation of the Northeast Corridor passenger service. Additionally, the agency oversees the management and ownership of all intermodal infrastructures such as tracks, right-of-way, equipment, real property and rolling stock, and also provides the overall coordination of federal rail transportation programs.The FRA's responsibilities are to establish through regulation, following an opportunity for notice and comment an avenue through which any person may submit a report to the Secretary of Homeland Security concerning railroad security problems or deficiencies. The agency also develops policies, conducts inspections, and assesses compliance with its rail laws in six technical disciplines, including track signal, track, and train control; motive power and equipment; operating procedures hazardous materials and highway-rail grade intersections.The agency has the responsibility to make sure the railroad transportation system is safe, economical and environmentally sustainable. The agency also requires railroads to maintain a safe workplace and provide adequate training for their employees. Furthermore, the agency sets and regulates railroad rates to ensure that the public gets fair prices for their transportation services.The Federal Railroad Administration also enacts and implements rules to prevent discrimination against railroad employees. They also shield whistleblowers from retaliation by railroad companies. The agency also has procedures for railroad employees can file complaints about the actions of the company.The main goal of the agency is to facilitate the safe efficient, reliable, and secure transportation of goods and people to build a stronger America, now and in the future. The FRA accomplishes this by regulating railroad safety, managing railroad assistance programs, conducting research to support improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policies, coordinating and supporting rail networking development and assisting the private sector manage railroads. In the past, railroads were dominant in the market with no competition. In the end, the industry often abused its position in the marketplace. This is why Congress created the Interstate Commerce Commission and other regulatory agencies to prevent the abuses committed by railroad monopolies.PurposeFederal railroads are federal agencies that establish rules, regulate funds for rail and conduct research to improve rail transportation in the United States. It is responsible for the railroad infrastructure of the United States and oversees freight and passenger railroads. It is one of the 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is also tasked with maintaining and expanding existing rail systems, as well as ensuring the ability of the rail industry to meet the growing travel and freight demands and providing leadership in regional and national system planning.Safety is the government's main responsibility in rail transportation. The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for this. It has a number of divisions that supervise the country's freight and passenger railway operations. The largest of them is the Office of Railroad Safety, with about 350 safety inspectors. It is responsible for conducting inspections that determine the compliance with regulations in six technical disciplines: track, signal and train control, motive power and equipment, operating procedures as well as hazmat and highway rail grade crossings.FRA has various departments, including 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. The department also is in charge of the grants that railways and works with other agencies in planning for the nation's rail needs.Another important duty of the FRA is the enforcement of certain federal laws pertaining to railroads and their employees. This includes preventing railroads from discriminating against workers and ensuring that injured railway workers are transported to the nearest hospital for initial aid treatment. The law also prohibits railroads from deny or delay medical treatment for injured railway employees.The FRA is the main regulator for the rail passenger and freight industry, but other organizations oversee the economic aspects of rail transportation. Surface Transportation Board is responsible for determining rates and governing economics in the sector. It has regulatory authority on railroad mergers, line-sales construction and abandonment. fela claims include the establishment of a process through regulations, following an opportunity for public input and participation, where anyone can complain about alleged safety violations to the agency.FunctionsRailroads transport goods and people to and from cities in developed nations as well as remote villages in countries that are less developed. They transport raw materials to processing and manufacturing factories, and the finished products from those facilities to warehouses and stores. Rail is a vital form of transportation for a number of essential commodities like grains, oil, and coal. In 2020, freight rail moved over a quarter of the nation's total freight volumes [PDF(PDF).Federal railroads operate like any other business, with departments for marketing and operations, sales, and an executive department. The marketing and sales department works with potential and current customers to determine what kind of rail services they require and how much they will cost. The operations department then produces rail services that meet these needs at the lowest cost possible to make money for railroads. The executive department oversees the entire operation and makes sure that each department is running efficiently.The government provides support to railways by a variety of ways, including grants and subsidized rates on government traffic. Congress also provides money to help build and maintain new tracks and stations. These subsidies are often a part of the revenue that railroads receive 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 collects data about rail security to identify trends areas that require improvement or regulatory attention and to determine trends.In addition to these primary functions, FRA works on various other projects aimed at improving the security and economy of railway transportation in the United States. For instance, FRA is working to remove obstacles that could delay railroads' introduction of positive train control systems (PTC). PTC is a safety system that utilizes sensors and computers on board to stop a train at the moment it is too close to another object or vehicle.HistoryIn 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 helped the country become more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports.In the latter part of the 19th century the railroad industry experienced the benefits of a "Golden Age" that saw new, more efficient raillines were built and passenger travel became popular. The government's efforts in expanding the railroad system was an important reason. The government, for example provided land grants to homesteaders to encourage them to move to the West. Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads also collaborated to construct the first transcontinental railway, which allowed passengers to travel from New York City to San Francisco in just six days.However in the early part of the 20th century, demand for railroad passenger services slowed and other modes of transport like automobiles and planes gained in popularity, while regulations hampered railroads' ability to compete economically. The industry was plagued by a string of bankruptcies, service cuts, and delayed maintenance. The misguided federal rail regulations contributed to the decline.Around 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 rates for railroads. The Federal Railroad Administration was also created, which sets standards for rail safety and is one of 10 agencies in the U.S. Department of Transportation that supervises passenger and freight transportation.Since then, a great amount of money has been made in the country's railway infrastructure. The Northeast Corridor has been rebuilt, for instance, to allow for faster and more modern high-speed ground transportation (HSGT). There have also been efforts to create more efficient freight rail systems. FRA hopes to continue working with all transportation agencies to ensure the safety and reliability of rails in the future. The role of FRA is to ensure that the nation's transport system runs as efficiently as is possible.