Office of Rail Regulation consults on future corporate strategy

10 February 2005
ORR/04/05 

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has today published, for consultation, its draft corporate strategy, setting out its future work plan for the next 3 years.

The strategy sets out how ORR will carry out its functions in the light of its enhanced role of independent rail regulation following publication of the Government’s Rail Review White Paper and the Railways Bill.

Under the White Paper proposals, ORR’s primary roles will be to:

  • monitor the health and safety performance of the industry; enforce compliance with health and safety law; and engage with stakeholders, provide information and promote research to improve health and safety standards where necessary;
  • ensure that Network Rail meets the needs of its customers and the funders of the railway by acting as a responsible and efficient owner and operator of the network infrastructure, and that it is appropriately funded to achieve those objectives;
  • review and approve key elements of the contractual and incentives framework in the industry, and act as an independent referee where this is appropriate;
  • provide independent advice to the Government, other funders and other stakeholders, and challenge the industry, on outputs, performance, cost and safety; and
  • enforce compliance with requirements of competition law in the rail sector concurrently with the Office of Fair Trading.

The strategy sets out ORR’s proposed approach to:

  • the process for the next review of Network Rail’s access charges;
  • ensuring Network Rail is accountable for its new responsibilities;
  • encouraging greater partnership between Network Rail and train operators; and
  • ensuring the efficient transfer of the regulation of health and safety on the railways from the Health and Safety Executive.

Chris Bolt, Chairman of the ORR said: “Taken together, the developments outlined in the White Paper and the need for the rail industry to improve performance and efficiency to give better value for money to rail users and taxpayers will result in a significant change in the way ORR operates and its future work programme.”

Notes for editors

  1. The consultation period for this document closes on 31 March 2005.
  2. A copy of the consultation document, “Corporate Strategy 2005 – 2008” is available from the ORR website at http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/222.pdf and is also available form the ORR Librarian, Sue MacSwan, 1 Waterhouse Square, 138-142 Holborn, London EC1N 2Tq, tel: 020 7282 2001, fax: 020 7282 2045, email: rail.library@orr.gsi.gov.uk.
  3. A copy of the Government’s White Paper, The Future of Rail-White Paper Cmnd 6233, is available from the Department for Transport website at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/divisionhomepage/031104.hcsp.
  4. As part of the consultation on this corporate strategy, ORR welcomes the opportunity to meet stakeholders, and is in the process of arranging meetings with stakeholder representatives and groupings.

 
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