Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is extending the length of time that freight and passenger railroads are waived from complying with certain safety regulations, according to recent filings. In March,  the agency granted the temporary waivers because of the coronavirus pandemic. Freight...

Twelve projects in nine states have been awarded more than $302 million in grants to upgrade track and railroad crossings, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced on May 27. The grants under the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair program are for capital projects to...

The COVID-19 pandemic could hamper freight and passenger railroads' ability to meet the December 31 deadline on positive train control (PTC) implementation, according to an April 30 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), chairman of the...

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is accepting grant applications for capital rail projects for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. Up to $311.8 million will be available for freight and passenger rail projects, with about 25% of that funding...

The Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO is asking Administrator Ron Batory of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to ensure that the freight railroads are using furloughed workers first before seeking a waiver to be exempt from safety-related regulations. Because of the...

Fourteen Congressional lawmakers are pressing the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to consider the health and safety recommendations given by the rail unions as both agencies craft guidance related to the novel coronavirus. The letter, written by U...

A handful of short line railroads are asking the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to exempt them from conducting random alcohol and drug tests on employees because of concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. The Fort Worth & Western Railroad (FWWR) of north central Texas, the Texas...

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is proposing service metrics that would measure the on-time performance of Amtrak's intercity passenger rail operations. The application of these metrics pertains to the Class I railroads because Amtrak and the Class I railroads share track on certain...

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is seeking applications for a grant program aimed at making repairs on the rail networks for passenger and intercity trains. The Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair Program has $396 million in grant funding available for projects that will...

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has stopped the rulemaking process to create a mandate for two-person freight train crews. The FRA said on May 23 that it was withdrawing its notice of proposed rulemaking for train crew staffing. The agency said that the railroads have maintained a strong...