The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), within the Department of Transportation (DOT), has been given the responsibility to carry out safety programs. FRA is responsible for promulgating and enforcing rail safety regulations; administering railroad assistance programs; conducting research and development in support of improved railroad safety and national rail transportation policy; providing for the rehabilitation of Northeast Corridor rail passenger service; and consolidating government support of rail transportation activities. The Controlled Correspondence Manager (CCM) system helps FRA fulfill this mission by providing automated assistance in tracking workflow. The CCM system provides FRA with the ability to track and control correspondence, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, complaints, waivers, one-time movements, and train horn quiet zones in a timely fashion.

Privacy management is an integral part of the CCM system. DOT/FRA has retained the services of privacy experts to help assess its privacy management program, utilizing proven technology, sound policies and procedures, and proven methodologies.

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Railroad Enforcement System (RES) is a major application. The RES application provides computerized support for the Office of Chief Counsel (OCC) attorneys in the issuance of civil penalty demand letters and other documents related to the violations of railroad safety laws and in the compilation of reports related to the railroad safety enforcement process. There are three major segments in the new system:

•     Civil Penalty Case Generation System
•     Civil Penalty Case Report Generation System
•     Individual Liability Cases

The first segment, Civil Penalty Case Generation System, contains most of the data entry, update, and query screens for case generation; look-up screens for supporting information; and the Region Violation Report Status Screen through Oracle Web Forms and Oracle Application Server. This segment is of primary interest to those who enter data on enforcement cases.  

The second segment, Civil Penalty Case Report Generation System, consists of various Structured Query Language (SQL) reports used for tracking violation reports and cases. They are published to the Internet, intranet, or both, in either Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or Portable Document Format (PDF) format.  

The third segment, Individual Liability Cases, is designed for actions against individuals in violation of the safety laws, including civil penalties, disqualification orders, and warning letters. It contains both data entry/query screens and SQL reports.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a $54.6 million loan to Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR) for the purchase of 30 new General Electric ES44AC locomotives.

FRESNO, Calif. – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today promoted the Obama Administration’s vision for high-speed rail in a meeting with Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin and Sacramento area business leaders.

News Digest

News Digest

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today released the latest video in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) “Faces of Distracted Driving” series.  The new video features the Brown family, whose 17-year-old daughter, Alex, was killed in a 2009 crash because she was texting while driving on a rural road in Wellman, Texas. The family recently appeared on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, raising awareness of the Remember Alex Brown Foundation and the dangers of distracted driving.