This World Engineering Day, we wanted to turn over our blog to some of ORR’s engineers, who play a unique role in the rail and road industries.
While some engineers work to directly design, develop and oversee projects, engineers at ORR play a slightly different role.
Because of the critical importance of Britain’s rail and road networks, ORR is tasked with scrutinising the work of the publicly owned infrastructure managers Network Rail and National Highways.
To be able to do this effectively, ORR employs engineers from a variety of backgrounds to make sure it has the right skills to be able to effectively challenge these companies.
In this blog, Andy Barron, Senior Engineer, Sustainable Development, writes about his role challenging Network Rail on its work to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change across the breadth of Great Britain.
Andy Barron, Senior Engineer, Sustainable Development
I first entered the world of engineering 15 years after I graduated with a degree in environmental sciences. I started working in commercial consultancy and I began leading multidisciplinary teams undertaking sustainable design and construction method statements for new large infrastructure schemes in the waste treatment, healthcare, education and highways sectors. This was a hugely expanding area and I was subsequently posted overseas to be a lead environmental engineer specifying environmental design and contract clauses and overseeing environmental audits for large road infrastructure reconstruction programmes in Queensland. This was when I realised my passion for work which spans across environmental and engineering disciplines
Coming to work with the ORR was a natural fit for me. No two days are the same, working for the rail regulator I have found to be a hugely rewarding career experience. I am proud to have been involved in setting a new blueprint for decarbonising how the railway’s infrastructure will be managed over the coming five years through the periodic review process, while challenging the infrastructure manager to progress its weather resilience and climate change adaptation plans, deliver against its existing decarbonisation commitments and set a high level of ambition for the future.
The effects of climate change on the railway
Climate change now has a very real impact on the railway, with significant implications for safety and performance. Also important is the challenge of reducing future infrastructure carbon, to deliver governments' net zero commitments. Many of the engineers I work with across all the different engineering disciplines see this, so it’s an exciting and rewarding time to work in the industry. The next five to 10 years will see significantly different ways of designing and managing assets to reduce their environmental footprint ‘from cradle to grave’ and to become more ‘climate resilient’ .
I have worked in both the private and charity sectors before joining the ORR. In many respects there are many similarities to working in the private sector, my focus is just as much about efficiency performance. Where things get exciting is where my role can set the blueprint for the future, and drive innovation in how assets are designed and managed to both improve efficiency, but also deliver environmental improvement for the next generation.
Opportunities at ORR
Being an engineer at the Office of Rail and Road is a unique opportunity to contribute to the UK's rail and road networks. It's a role that combines the technical challenges of engineering with oversight of an entire transport system, working to improve the safety, value and performance of Britain’s road and rail systems.
If you’re interested in pursuing a role at ORR, visit our careers page to learn more.