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ORR publishes new level crossing risk management guidance for UK railways
ORR's new guidance does not specify requirements or solutions, allowing for a proportionate, case-by-case approach to be made for each level crossing in the UK.
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Office of Rail and Road (ORR)
The UK’s Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the economic and safety regulation of Britain’s railways, and the economic monitoring of Highways England.
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ORR to review safety and passenger impacts of Hitachi Rail Class 800 and 385 disruption
Following the disruption caused by the discovery of cracks on Hitachi Class 800 and 385 series trains in May 2021, ORR is set to undertake a review of the impact of the incident on safety and passengers.
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Rail journeys in Great Britain fall to lowest annual levels since 1872
Statistics from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have revealed that the unprecedented fall in usage can be attributed entirely to the impact of the pandemic.
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UK government establishes new public body to end fragmentation of UK railways
The UK government has announced the formation of a new public body, Great British Railways, which will bring the UK's railways under single, accountable national leadership.
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UK rail industry and Hitachi Rail agree service recovery plan
With oversight from the UK's Office of Rail and Road, Hitachi Rail, train operators and the government have agreed a service recovery plan to safely reintroduce more Class 800 Series and 385 Series trainsets into passenger service after cracks were found on some trains.
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ORR outlines need for competition be improved in UK railway signalling market
ORR has raised its concerns regarding the two main players in the UK's railway signalling market, stating that competition needs to be improved for alternative companies.
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Train fires: Understanding the risks and controlling them
The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has published revised standards on fire safety and evacuation. Neil Dinmore, Principal Engineer of Structures and Materials at RSSB, considers the history behind the present.
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30,000 UK railway staff to undertake disability awareness training by end of 2021
All 24 train and station operators across the UK have committed to having their passenger-facing staff undertake disability awareness and equality training.
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ORR publishes 2020-2021 Q3 statistics for UK passenger rail performance
ORR's statistics show that the punctuality of all 23 UK operators improved in Q3 of 2020-2021 when compared to 2019-2020, but a total of 11 per cent fewer trains were scheduled.
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Southeastern to implement additional accessibility measures under new Accessible Travel Policy
Measures within Southeastern's new travel policy include the setting up of a Passenger Accessibility Panel and the creation of a new bespoke disability awareness training programme.
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More accessible guidance on level crossing safety in UK proposed by ORR
ORR's draft guidance proposals aim to give the industry greater confidence in putting forward innovative designs to reduce risks and increase safety at level crossings.
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ORR report finds that Network Rail performed positively despite COVID-19
ORR has praised Network Rail for its performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has outlined that efforts need to improve in the North West.
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What will HS2 mean for rail freight in Britain?
With the construction of HS2 now underway, Zoe McLernon, Multimodal Policy Manager at Logistics UK, explores how the development is set to impact rail freight and the steps that government can take to maximise the opportunities for the sector.
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Only 37 per cent of eligible delay repay passengers claiming refunds in UK
Transport Focus has outlined that improved reliability and a simpler delay repay claims process can help increase confidence in the railway.
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ORR statistics outline lowest passenger levels in UK since mid-19th century
During Q1 of 2020-2021, the number of passenger journeys decreased by more than 400 million when compared to the same quarter in 2019-2020.