Federal Railroad Administration

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Federal Railroad Administration
USDOT - Federal Railroad Administration - Logo.svg
Agency overview
FormedApril 1, 1967;56 years ago (1967-04-01)
Jurisdiction United States Government
Headquarters Washington, DC
Employees850
Annual budget$1.561 billion (2008) [1]
Agency executive
Parent agency U.S. Department of Transportation
Website railroads.dot.gov OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. [3] The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce rail safety regulations, administer railroad assistance programs, conduct research and development in support of improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policy, provide for the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service, and consolidate government support of rail transportation activities. [4]

Contents

The FRA is one of ten agencies within DOT concerned with intermodal transportation. It operates through seven divisions under the offices of the Administrator and Deputy Administrator. These divisions are Financial Management and Administration, Chief Counsel, Civil Rights, Public Affairs, Public Engagement, Railroad Policy and Development, and Safety. It has a staff of about 850. [5]

Function

Amtrak California Zephyr Engines 1 and 56 Eastbound at Grand Junction - img1.jpg
ATSF Downhhill Caliente Aug 90xRP (7701632638).jpg
The FRA oversees both passenger (top) and freight (bottom) rail operations in the United States.

All passenger and freight rail travel in the United States on the national interconnected rail infrastructure is subject to regulation by the FRA. FRA regulates public and intercity rail services, but does not regulate "closed" railways that operate exclusively on private property, such as a rail system between buildings at a steel mill, nor does it regulate subways, light rail or elevated intra-city passenger rail systems that do not connect to any public rail networks. [6] Most notably, the FRA enforces safety regulations, such as speed limits and requirements for safety features such as positive train control (PTC). [7] Non-legislative recommendations for FRA policy come from the Rail Safety Advisory Committee, established in 1996, [8] though much of FRA policy is created via congressional legislation; for example, the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was an act of Congress, which the FRA enforced through a series of regulations published two years later. [9] These regulations include enforcement of PTC requirements and enforcement of more stringent conductor certification requirements. [10] [11]

FRA Inspection Train in St. Johnsville, New York Federal Railroad Administration Inspection Train.jpg
FRA Inspection Train in St. Johnsville, New York

21st century safety initiatives

In 2011, the FRA began the process of updating its electronic device policy for active train operators. [12]

In June 2015, the FRA announced a railway safety initiative with Google that would include the FRA's GIS data in its mapping services. The data pinpoint the location of over 250,000 rail crossings in the United States. The FRA believes that providing the location of rail crossings on maps will enhance crossing safety for people who are using navigation systems while driving. [13] [14] The agency also created a web portal for the public to report blocked crossings in order to collect data on the implication for safety and economy of stopped trains blocking crossings. [15] [16]

Citing safety concerns, in 2016 the FRA proposed a rule to mandate train crew sizes [17] but the agency withdrew the rule in 2019 stating "that no regulation of train crew staffing is necessary or appropriate for railroad operations to be conducted safely at this time." [18] This was in part due to the improving safety record for rail and also the implementation of PTC across nearly 60,000 route miles of track. [19] [20]

Following three recent derailments of long trains, the FRA in July 2023 started requiring Class 1 railroads to provide monthly data tracking train length and tonnage. [21] The specific concern is of trains with 1) more than 200 cars, 2) length of 12,250 feet or more, or 3) weight of more than 17,000 tons.

List of administrators

ImageNameYear beganYear endAppointed by
A. Scheffer Lang19671969 Lyndon B. Johnson
Reginald Whitman19691970 Richard Nixon
John W. Ingram 19711974Richard Nixon
Asaph H. Hall19741977Richard Nixon
John M. Sullivan19771981 Jimmy Carter
Robert W. Blanchette19811983 Ronald Reagan
John H. Riley 19831989Ronald Reagan
Gil Carmichael 19891993 George H. W. Bush
Jolene M. Molitoris.gif Jolene Molitoris19932000 Bill Clinton
Allan Rutter.jpg Allan Rutter20012004 George W. Bush
Betty Monro.jpg Betty Monro (acting)20042005George W. Bush
Robert D. Jamison (acting)20052005George W. Bush
Jhboardman.jpg Joseph H. Boardman 20052008George W. Bush
Clifford C. Eby.jpg Clifford C. Eby (acting)20082009George W. Bush
Joeszabo.jpg Joe Szabo 20092015 Barack Obama
Sarah Feinberg official photo.jpg Sarah Feinberg 20152017Barack Obama
Patrick T. Warren.jpg Patrick T. Warren (acting)20172017 Donald Trump
Heath Hall.png Heath Hall (acting)20172018Donald Trump
Juan D. Reyes III.jpg Juan Reyes (acting)20182018Donald Trump
Ronald Batory official photo.jpg Ronald Batory 20182021Donald Trump
Amit-bose.png Amit Bose (acting) [22] 20212022 Joe Biden
Amit Bose, FRA Administrator.jpg Amit Bose 2022PresentJoe Biden

[23] [24] [25] [26]

Northeast Corridor Future

The FRA's Northeast Corridor (NEC) Future is a long-term plan aimed at improving the nation's Northeast Corridor. [27] The NEC Future plan consists of four components (also known as the Selective Alternative) that are: Improve rail service, Modernize NEC infrastructure, Expand rail capacity, and Study New Haven-to-Providence capacity. These four components all aim to improve the reliability and performance of the NEC system, whether it be through intercity or regional means. [28] The Selective Alternative looks to do four major things: Improve rail service by increasing frequency of trains, decreasing travel time, and making better passenger convenience; Modernize NEC infrastructure by having corridor-wide repair and replacing and fixing parts to bring the entire system to increased reliability; Expand rail capacity by adding new infrastructure between cities and increasing train speeds and capacity; and Study New Haven to Providence capacity. [29]

The NEC Future ROD (Record of Decision) was issued in July 2017, which marked the completion of the Tier 1 environmental review process. The ROD lays out everything involved with the project, including the plan itself and feedback from individuals, organizations, and stakeholders. [27] There is no listed completion date for the NEC Future and Selective Alternative.

National Rail Plan

Background

The need for an NRP was brought up in the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. However, before the official plan could be drafted, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) required a Preliminary National Rail Plan (PNRP) to be made first, which was submitted to Congress on October 15, 2009. On December 16, 2009, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 was enacted into law and established the delivery date for the NRP. The delivery date for the NRP was September 15, 2010. [30]

The goal

With the nation's infrastructure growing, the transportation used in the nation also needs to grow. With that in mind, the NRP's main goal is to increase the size of the nation's railway capacity to include 70 million more people and 2.8 billion tons more of freight within the next 25 years, and 100 million more people and 4 billion tons more of freight within the next 40 years. The NRP also looks to continue improving the rail systems safety. [31]

High-speed intercity travel

Another one of the NRP's big goals is the introduction of a high-speed train made for intercity travel. These trains would be much faster than normal trains, ranging in speed from 125–250 mph (201–402 km/h), and capable of delivering a passenger 500 miles (800 km) in about 2–3 hours. In smaller, regional areas, the trains would not be as quick, only going somewhere between 90–125 mph (145–201 km/h). There are no set costs for this system, however. The FRA argues that the benefits a high-speed rail system would bring outweigh the costs for the system, claiming that the high-speed rail system would reduce car traffic and eliminate the need for short-haul flights. It would also reduce congestion in America's more populated regions and boost manufacturing activity. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

The vast majority of passenger travel in the United States occurs by automobile for shorter distances and airplane or railroad for longer distances. Most cargo in the U.S. is transported by, in descending order, railroad, truck, pipeline, or boat; air shipping is typically used only for perishables and premium express shipments. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amtrak</span> American intercity passenger rail operator

The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak, is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Amtrak is a portmanteau of the words America and trak, the latter itself a sensational spelling of track.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Transportation</span> Federal executive department focusing on transportation

The United States Department of Transportation is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet.

<i>Acela</i> Intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the northeastern United States

The Acela is Amtrak's flagship passenger train service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeastern United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via 13 intermediate stops, including Baltimore, New York City and Philadelphia. Acela trains are the fastest in the Americas, reaching 150 miles per hour (240 km/h), but only over 49.9 miles (80.3 km) of the 457-mile (735 km) route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Corridor</span> Electrified railroad line in the Northeastern U.S.

The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C. in the south, with major stops in Providence, New Haven, Stamford, New York City, Trenton, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore. The NEC closely parallels Interstate 95 for most of its length, and, as of 2013, is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States both by ridership and by service frequency. The NEC carries more than 2,200 trains daily.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor</span> Proposed passenger rail project in the United States

The Southeast Corridor (SEC) is a proposed passenger rail transportation project in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States to extend high-speed passenger rail services from the current southern terminus of the Northeast Corridor in Washington, D.C.. Routes would extend south via Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia, with a spur to Norfolk in Virginia's Hampton Roads region; the mainline would continue south to Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Since the corridor was first established in 1992, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has extended it further to Atlanta, Georgia and Macon, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and Birmingham, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-speed rail in the United States</span> Overview of the high-speed rail system in the United States of America

Plans for high-speed rail in the United States date back to the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965. Various state and federal proposals have followed. Despite being one of the world's first countries to get high-speed trains, it failed to spread. Definitions of what constitutes high-speed rail vary, including a range of speeds over 110 mph (180 km/h) and dedicated rail lines. Inter-city rail with top speeds between 90 and 125 mph is sometimes referred to in the United States as higher-speed rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Track geometry car</span> Automated railway track inspection vehicle

A track geometry car is an automated track inspection vehicle on a rail transport system used to test several parameters of the track geometry without obstructing normal railroad operations. Some of the parameters generally measured include position, curvature, alignment of the track, smoothness, and the crosslevel of the two rails. The cars use a variety of sensors, measuring systems, and data management systems to create a profile of the track being inspected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Positive train control</span> Type of train protection system

Positive train control (PTC) is a family of automatic train protection systems deployed in the United States. Most of the United States' national rail network mileage has a form of PTC. These systems are generally designed to check that trains are moving safely and to stop them when they are not.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph H. Boardman</span> American transportation official (1948–2019)

Joseph Houston Boardman was an American transportation executive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flats Industrial Railroad</span> Bridge in Cuyahoga County, Ohio

The Flats Industrial Railroad is a Class III railroad that provides short-line commercial/industrial switching service in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, primarily with CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelham Bay Bridge</span> Bridge in the Bronx, New York

The Pelham Bay Bridge, also known as the Amtrak Hutchinson River Bridge, is a two-track movable railroad bridge that carries the Northeast Corridor (NEC) over the Hutchinson River in the Bronx, New York, upstream from the vehicular/pedestrian Pelham Bridge. It is owned by Amtrak, which provides passenger service, and is used by CSX Transportation and the Providence & Worcester Railroad for freight traffic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail speed limits in the United States</span> Overview of rail speed limits in the United States of America

Rail speed limits in the United States are regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration. Railroads also implement their own limits and enforce speed limits. Speed restrictions are based on a number of factors including curvature, signaling, track condition, and the presence of grade crossings. Like road speed limits in the United States, speed limits for tracks and trains are measured in miles per hour (mph).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dock Bridge</span> United States historic place

Dock Bridge is a pair of vertical lift bridges crossing the Passaic River at Newark, Essex County and Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, used exclusively for railroad traffic. It is the seventh crossing from the river's mouth at Newark Bay and is 5.0 miles (8.0 km) upstream from it. Also known as the Amtrak Dock Vertical Lift, it carries Amtrak, NJ Transit, and PATH trains. It is listed on the state and federal registers of historic places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008</span>

The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 is a United States federal law, enacted by Congress to improve railroad safety. Among its provisions, the most notable was the mandate requiring positive train control (PTC) technology to be installed on most of the US railroad network by 2015. This was spurred by the 2008 Chatsworth train collision the month prior to passage of the act. After two delays, the technology was operational on all required railroads by the end of 2020.

Railworthiness is the property or ability of a locomotive, passenger car, freight car, train or any kind of railway vehicle to be in proper operating condition or to meet acceptable safety standards of project, manufacturing, maintenance and railway use for transportation of persons, luggage or cargo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higher-speed rail</span> Type of railway with speeds approaching but less than that of true high speed rail

Higher-speed rail (HrSR), also known as high-performance rail, higher-performance rail, semi-high-speed rail or almost-high-speed rail, is the jargon used to describe inter-city passenger rail services that have top speeds of more than conventional rail but are not high enough to be called high-speed rail services. The term is also used by planners to identify the incremental rail improvements to increase train speeds and reduce travel time as alternatives to larger efforts to create or expand the high-speed rail networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avelia Liberty</span> High-speed train from Alstom for North America

Avelia Liberty is a tilting high-speed passenger train built for the North American market by French manufacturer Alstom and assembled in the United States. Amtrak has ordered 28 train sets for use on its flagship Acela service along the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington, D.C., via New York City and Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caltrain Modernization Program</span> Railway electrification project in California, US

The Caltrain Modernization Program (CalMod), sometimes referred to as the Caltrain Electrification Project, is a $2.44 billion project that will add a positive train control (PTC) system and electrify the main line of the U.S. commuter railroad Caltrain, which serves cities in the San Francisco Peninsula and Silicon Valley, as well as transition from its current diesel-electric locomotive powered trains to electric multiple units (EMU). According to Caltrain, electrification of the tracks will allow it to improve service times via faster acceleration and shorter headways, reduce air pollution and noise, and facilitate a future railway tunnel into downtown San Francisco's Salesforce Transit Center, as diesel trains cannot serve underground stations.

Pedestrian railroad safety is concerned with the protection of life through regulation, management and technology development of all forms of rail transportation. In the United States there are some 180,000 miles of track. Pedestrian railroad accidents are the leading cause of death on railways. More than 7,200 pedestrians have been killed by trains in the United States since 1997.

References

  1. ↑ "U.S. Department of Transportation Fiscal Year 2009 Budget In Brief". Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Government Officials at the US Department of Transportation | US Department of Transportation". transportation.gov. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  3. ↑ United States. Department of Transportation Act. 49 U.S.C.   § 103, section 3(e)(1).
  4. ↑ Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). "Federal Railroad Administration: About Us." Archived 2008-05-19 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Federal Railroad Administration (2010). Washington, DC."About the FRA." Archived 2010-09-14 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2010-08-28.
  6. ↑ In this article http://www.alexblock.net/blog/2015/10/06/wmata-the-ntsb-and-the-fra-or-what-do-you-mean-the-metro-doesnt-count-as-a-railroad/ Archived May 8, 2018, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved May 7, 2018), a subway or metro system that does not use infrastructure accessible from other networks, such as Washington DC's Metrorail system, the Chicago "L", or the New York City Subway, is not a "railroad" and FRA lacks jurisdiction over its operations.
  7. ↑ "Railroad Safety". Federal Railroad Administration. United States Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Railroad Safety Advisory Committee". Federal Railroad Administration. United States Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Positive Train Control Systems". Federal Register. United States Office of the Federal Register. January 15, 2010. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Positive Train Control". Federal Railroad Administration. United States Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Conductor Certification". Federal Railroad Administration. United States Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Electronic Device Distraction". Federal Railroad Administration. United States Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Google, FRA team up for safety; will add rail crossing data to maps". June 29, 2015. Archived from the original on February 19, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  14. ↑ Mouawad, Jad (June 29, 2015). "Agency Taps Mapping Technology to Curb Rail Crossing Accidents". New York Times. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Blocked Crossings". fra.dot.gov. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Blocked Crossing? FRA Wants to Know About It (and More)". Railway Age. June 14, 2022. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Federal Register:: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Federal Register :: Request Access". unblock.federalregister.gov. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  19. ↑ "FRA withdraws proposed minimum crew size rule | Trains Magazine". Trains. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Rail News – FRA withdraws proposed train-crew staffing rule. For Railroad Career Professionals". Progressive Railroading. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  21. ↑ "FRA seeks data on train length and tonnage from Class I roads". Trains . No. 10 Vol 83. Kalmbach. October 2023. p. 7.
  22. ↑ "Amit Bose | US Department of Transportation". transportation.gov. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Heads of Operating Administrations". United States Department of Transportation, Office of the Historian. Archived from the original on July 30, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  24. ↑ "FRA Acting Administrator Named" Archived July 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , APTA:Passenger Transport Express, December 5, 2008, accessed December 8, 2008
  25. ↑ "Joseph H. Boardman Begins Role as New Administrator for Federal Railroad Administration With Focus on Rail Safety and Intercity Passenger Rail Reform" (Press release). FRA. June 1, 2005. Archived from the original on October 28, 2005. Retrieved June 6, 2005.
  26. ↑ Progressive Railroading (April 30, 2009). "Senate confirms Szabo's nomination as FRA administrator". Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  27. 1 2 "NEC Future". Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  28. ↑ Reyes-Alicea, Rebecca (July 2017). "NEC Future: Record of Decision". Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  29. ↑ "NEC Future: Selected Alternative Description". Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  30. ↑ Rae, Karen (April 5, 2010). "National Rail Plan". Regulations.gov. Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  31. 1 2 Federal Railroad Administration (September 20, 2010). "National Rail Plan Progress Report". Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.

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