The UK’s rail network is a complex system to operate and maintain, and one that is crucial for moving people and goods every single day.
ORR, as economic and safety regulator of the Railway, has a key role in driving the network to improve its day to day operation and plan how it will run and develop in future. We also are here to look into causes when things go wrong, and hold the relevant parties to account.
We have published our draft determination of Network Rail’s settlement for England and Wales and for Scotland in the five years up to 2024, and our initial assessment of their plans to deliver it. Our view is that the plans that Network Rail’s routes have produced are better than the previous but there is greater scope for the company to do more to boost safety and reliability by delivering an additional £1bn of renewals. The draft determination is now out for consultation. We welcome continued engagement with stakeholders as we work towards our final determination in October.
We have begun our Inquiry into the recent and widespread disruption following the failed implementation of new timetables in May this year. The chair of ORR’s board, Stephen Glaister, will head the Inquiry, supported by a panel of expert advisors. The Inquiry will deliver an interim report by September, and will be based on evidence from a range of organisations.
I would also like to congratulate ORR’s Chief Inspector of Railways, Ian Prosser, who was awarded a CBE in this year’s birthday honours. Ian’s commitment to continually improving safety for all those who travel or work on the railways is known widely, and the award is a well deserved testament to what he and his team have achieved.
Joanna Whittington
Chief Executive
Top stories
Draft determination
PR18, our periodic review of Network Rail’s plans for the next control period, has reached an important stage. On 12 June we published our initial view (our draft determination) setting out what Network Rail is required to deliver in England and Wales, and in Scotland, based on what the Governments want from the railways, and how much money they have available to spend.
As we are clear that strong planning is central to improving Network Rail’s performance, the draft determination is based on an assessment of Network Rail’s eight route-based Strategic Business Plans and we have identified greater scope for Network Rail to do more to boost reliability and safety to benefit passengers and freight users – you can read more on our views on the plans for England and Wales and Scotland.
We are now consulting on these assessments and will publish our final determination on 31st October.
Timetable Inquiry
On the fourth of June, the Secretary of State announced that the ORR, lead by our Chair Stephen Glaister, will undertake an independent Inquiry into the implementation of new rail timetables in May 2018. The inquiry will have three stages – gathering evidence, diagnosing what went wrong, and then developing recommendations. An interim report will be published in September, with a full report by the end of the year.
We have now published our terms of reference for the inquiry. Stephen Glaister will be supported by an expert panel, drawn from outside the ORR. The Inquiry will draw conclusions and make recommendations based on a thorough assessment of the causes, consequences and management of the disruption to avoid a repeat of these problems for passengers, other users and railway staff in the future. You can read the Terms of Reference and other information here.
Informed Travellers
The timetable inquiry, described above, is in addition to our ongoing investigation into issues which mean that final timetables across the network are currently only being produced six weeks in advance, rather than twelve (a process known as T-12) This project, which began in February, is considering how the issue arose, whether the industry is delivering against its obligations and whether it is responding to minimise the impact on passengers.
We are publishing regular updates on this project, including how the industry has responded to our concerns and information for passengers.
Highways Monitor
Our Highways Monitor team is responsible for reporting on Highways England’s ongoing delivery, and for contributing to development of the next Road investment Strategy. Key to that is understanding the experience of road users; Simon Chapman reports on a fact-finding visit to a Co-Op distribution facility.
Health and Safety
The ORR’s Health and Safety role addresses risks facing passengers and the workforce across the network, and on all types of stock and service – some of which pose particular issues. Our Occupational Health team writes about the particular ongoing challenges posed by managing effluent discharge on the network.
ORR had an exhibition stand at Rail Live 2018 this month, where we were able to speak to people from across the industry.
Publications Round-up
Each year, we publish a series of reports setting out our assessment of how Network Rail, Highways England and Train Companies have delivered for rail and road users over the last twelve months. This year’s set of reports will be issued starting in July: Our Network Rail Monitor; Chief Inspector’s annual report on Health and Safety on the railways; our Annual Assessment of Highways England; and Measuring Up, covering consumer experience issues. On 20 June we laid our 2017-18 Annual Report before Parliament. All reports will be published on our website, and you can also get updates via our twitter account @railandroad