In the United States, rail transportation is separated into freight cargo and passenger rail sectors. Nonetheless, the majority of rail transit in the United States presently consists primarily of freight train shipments, which are critical to the nation's economy. Rail transport has had a symbiotic relationship with current governments since its debut in 1827. (FRA, n.d). The Pacific Railroads Acts of 1862 and 1864 were two of the first government restrictions affecting the railroad. The government established the FRA in 1966 as part of the Department of Transportation Act, with the task of assuring the safety of passenger and commercial trains (FRA, n.d). The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to explain how the government regulates railroads in the United States.
In the United States, railroads are regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The principal purpose of FRA is to enforce rail safety regulations. However, the administration also administers railroad assistance programmes as well as provides analytical and technical guidance to support decision-making. Moreover, FRA implements innovative and scientifically based demonstration programs which lead to a reduction in the number of accidents, deaths and injuries in the railroad sector. It is also the responsibility of FRA to collaborate with other governmental and research institutions as well as non-governmental organizations to develop standards in the railroad sector.
The mission of FRA is to “enable safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods for a strong America, now and in the future” (FRA, n.d). To achieve this mission, FRA uses several means such as legislative rules, non-legislative standards and management and procedural rules (FRA, n.d). Between 2002 and 2008 there were several fatal rail accidents. In response to this, the Congress passed Rail Safety and Improvement Act of 2008 which directs the FRA to promulgate new safety rules among other things.
In the United States, Freight rails are used to transport high volumes of products and cargo. It is estimated that on a daily basis, the trains deliver an average of 5 million tons of good. Moreover, more than 70 percent of coal in the US is moved by Freight trail (FRA, n.d). It is therefore evident that railways are a major contributor to the economic growth of the US. Despite railroad being a major contributor to the economic development of the United States, the country still needs high-speed railroads that can connect major American cities. Furthermore, since the consequences of rail mishaps are substantial, there is need to invest in disaster recovery.
The FRA should be allocated a significant budget to help it plan for disaster recovery. Additionally, since human error and malfunctioning equipment causes most rail accident, FRA should investigate accidents and implement measures to prevent accidents from re-occurring. Most importantly, more laws such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 should be implemented so that a network of high-speed rail lines can be constructed.
Reference
FRA. (n.d). Federal Railroad Administration. Retrieved from: https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0068
