The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) was created by the Department ofTransportation Act of 1966. It is one of ten agencies within the U.S. Department ofTransportation concerned with intermodal transportation. FRA promotes safe,environmentally sound, successful railroad transportation to meet the needs of all customers today and tomorrow.
FRA's Office of Railroad Safety promotes and regulates safety throughout the Nation's railroad industry. The office executes its regulatory and inspection responsibilities through a diverse staff of railroad safety experts.
The Federal Railroad Administration is responsible for working with stakeholders to develop cohesive goals and policies for maintaining and improving the U.S. freight and passenger rail networks. This section covers various efforts across America and the world in helping to deliver safe, reliable, and efficient rail transportation.
FRA Research & Development (R&D) projects contribute to the FRA's safety regulatory processes, to railroad suppliers, to railroads involved in the transportation of freight, intercity passengers, commuters, and to railroad employees and their labor organizations.
In this section, we provide descriptions and comprehensive, official sources for FRA's regulations (also called rules), selected legislation, as well as policy and guidance documents. Additionally, you will find current topics of high interest or significant impact to Congress, railroads, employees, labor, public interest groups and other stakeholders.
FRA supports passenger and freight railroading through a variety of competitive grant, dedicated grant, and loan programs to develop safety improvements, relieve congestion, and encourage the expansion and upgrade of passenger and freight rail infrastructure and services. FRA also provides training and technical assistance to grantees and stakeholders.
The Federal Railroad Administration Office of Communications is the primary link between the agency and reporters, the public and others who have an interest in our nation's rail network.
The FRA eLibrary contains all the documents that are found throughout the FRA Public Website. Multiple pages on the website may link to the same eLibrary item based on its set of metadata.
FRA's Passenger Rail Division provides technical expertise and direction in the development and implementation of rail safety programs applicable to Commuter and Passenger Railroads, as well as advice and oversight in the following areas: System Safety; Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness; Shared Use; New Start Commuter and Passenger Railroads; Procurement of Rolling Stock; High-Speed Rail; and Tourist, Scenic, Excursion, and Historic Railroads. The Division also provides technical support to regional staff regarding enforcement matters affecting Commuter and Passenger Railroads.
Collision Hazard Analysis Guide
Guide to Developing a Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness Plan
Passenger Rail Station Gap Management Guide
Guidance for Crashworthiness Requirements for Alternatively-designed Passenger Equipment
High-Speed Passenger Rail Safety Strategy
Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Guidelines for HSR
Prototype Crashworthy Workstation Table Drawings