Post-Implementation Review of the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011
The Department for Transport (DfT) is seeking the views of stakeholders on the operation and effectiveness of the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011 (RIR 2011) and the associated standards framework. This survey forms part of DfT’s statutory Post Implementation Review (PIR) of RIR 2011, which assesses whether the regulations are achieving their intended objectives, whether they remain necessary, and whether there have been any unintended consequences arising from their application.
This PIR comes amidst a rolling programme of rail nationalisation and the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR) as the directing mind for Britain’s railway. These developments prompt reconsideration of this regulatory framework which may lead to substantive changes to RIR 2011 and the standards it mandates to better serve the new sector model.
In addition to meeting the statutory requirement to review the effectiveness of RIR 2011, this exercise is intended to inform our thinking on the potential changes to RIR 2011 and its associated standards to reflect wider changes to the rail industry, which we may consult on in due course. RIR 2011 and the standards it mandates do not operate in isolation, but within a wider interconnected standards framework that includes pan-industry standards mandated through licence conditions and company standards set through contracts and individual safety management systems. Potential changes to RIR 2011 and its associated standards could have consequential effects on the wider standards framework, so this PIR takes a holistic approach and includes broader questions about the effectiveness of the overall standards framework. This PIR therefore provides an opportunity to not only look back at how RIR 2011 has operated to date, but also to gather evidence to support decisions on the future shape of the overall rail technical standards framework as we prepare for GBR.
This review will be of interest to a wide range of stakeholders, including passenger and freight operators, infrastructure owners and managers, rolling stock leasing companies, manufacturers and suppliers, conformity assessment bodies, and passenger representatives. Responses from any organisation or individual with an interest in this subject are welcomed.