Rail Safety and Standards Board
Encyclopedia
The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) is an independent not-for-profit company, which was established in 2003, upon the recommendation of the public inquiry into the Ladbroke Grove rail crash
. It is owned by rail industry stakeholders, including Network Rail
, infrastructure managers, train operating companies and rolling stock companies.
According to its own website "The Company’s primary objective is to facilitate the railway industry’s work to achieve continuous improvement in the health and safety performance of the railways in Great Britain, and thus to facilitate the reduction of risk to passengers, employees and the affected public."
In this regard, it is intended to lead the other bodies associated with the Great Britain rail network:
(there is also National Rail
- which is the public face of the rail network).
It is responsible for the publication and maintenance of the British Railway Rule Book
, by which the network is operated. RSSB promotes the Trackoff programme promoting rail safety within schools, and the Sustainable Rail Programme which has been established to support the rail industry in
reaching its full potential for a sustainable transport system.
Ladbroke Grove rail crash
The Ladbroke Grove Rail Crash was a rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 at Ladbroke Grove, London, England. Thirty-one people were killed and more than 520 injured...
. It is owned by rail industry stakeholders, including Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
, infrastructure managers, train operating companies and rolling stock companies.
According to its own website "The Company’s primary objective is to facilitate the railway industry’s work to achieve continuous improvement in the health and safety performance of the railways in Great Britain, and thus to facilitate the reduction of risk to passengers, employees and the affected public."
In this regard, it is intended to lead the other bodies associated with the Great Britain rail network:
- The Office of Rail RegulationOffice of Rail RegulationThe Office of Rail Regulation is a statutory board which is the combined economic and safety regulatory authority for Great Britain's railway network. It was established on 5 July 2004 by the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, replacing the Rail Regulator...
- regulatory body - Network RailNetwork RailNetwork Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
- owner and maintainer of rail infrastructure - The Association of Train Operating CompaniesAssociation of Train Operating CompaniesThe Association of Train Operating Companies is a body which represents 24 train operating companies that provide passenger railway services on the privatised British railway system. It owns the National Rail brand. The Association is an unincorporated association owned by its members...
- operators of services on the network
(there is also National Rail
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...
- which is the public face of the rail network).
It is responsible for the publication and maintenance of the British Railway Rule Book
UK railway technical manuals
The railway network of Great Britain is operated with the aid of a number of documents, which have been sometimes termed "technical manuals", because they are more detailed than the pocket-timetables which the public encounters every day...
, by which the network is operated. RSSB promotes the Trackoff programme promoting rail safety within schools, and the Sustainable Rail Programme which has been established to support the rail industry in
reaching its full potential for a sustainable transport system.