Ingenuity and innovation have made rail one of the safest modes of transportation in our nation today. Hard lessons were learned over many decades by railroads, workers and regulators. Significant strides were made possible by the development and widespread adoption of evolving technologies and modern business practices. Among the contemporary cutting-edge technologies making their mark on the railroad industry is artificial intelligence, or “AI.”
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s second-quarter 2020 update on railroads’ self-reported progress on fully implementing Positive Train Control (PTC) by the Dec. 31, 2020 deadline shows that, as of June 30, 2020, the job is 98.8% complete. Nearly all railroads subject to the statutory mandate are operating their systems in revenue service or in advanced field testing, known as revenue service demonstration (RSD), with PTC technology remaining to be activated on only approximately 700 required route-miles.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded $528,028 in Railroad Trespassing Enforcement Grants to 11 projects in six states in an effort to support life-saving trespass abatement.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), issued on June 19 a final rule authorizing the bulk transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail.
RAILWAY AGE, JUNE 2020 ISSUE: Consistent with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the primary strategic goal of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is safety. The FRA mission statement reflects this priority: promoting the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods by rail. Safety has been and remains the principle driver of FRA research and development, carried out by the Office of Research, Development and Technology (RD&T).
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a $291.4 million notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Grant Program (Partnership Program). This is the third such NOFO for the Partnership Program to help repair and rehabilitate intercity passenger railroad assets.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has made available $293,000 in competitive grant funds for Railroad Trespassing Suicide Prevention Program projects.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced the recipients of more than $302 million in grant funds—to fund 12 projects in nine states—under the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program (Partnership Program) to help repair and rehabilitate railroad infrastructure across the country.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) first-quarter 2020 update on railroads’ self-reported progress on fully implementing Positive Train Control (PTC) by the Dec. 31, 2020 deadline shows that, as of March 31, 2020, the job is 98% complete. Nearly all railroads subject to the statutory mandate are operating their systems in revenue service or in advanced field testing, known as revenue service demonstration (RSD), with PTC technology remaining to be activated on only approximately 1,100 required route-miles.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has named Gerald A. Reynolds Chief Counsel, serving as the principal legal advisor to FRA Administrator Ron Batory, with responsibility for overseeing all FRA legal matters.
