Stakeholder engagement

ORR has a wide range of stakeholders - rail users, funders of the railway, the railway industry and the general public. We have always seen effective relationships with these stakeholders with a two-way flow of information as an important input to our activities. We proactively seek our stakeholders' views on what we are doing and consult extensively on key policy initiatives.

To get in touch please contact Rachael Durrett, Corporate and Industry Relations Manager, at rachael.durrett@orr.gsi.gov.uk or 020 7282 3950.

Stakeholder survey

In September 2009 we engaged Cragg Ross Dawson to carry out a survey of our industry stakeholders ( 273 Kb) to explore their:

• knowledge, understanding and perceptions of ORR;
• reasons behind their attitudes: why they feel the way they do about ORR; key influences on their perceptions;
• appreciation of the context in which ORR operates: the degree to which they appreciate the challenges ORR faces; and
• how this understanding influences perceptions of ORR as a whole hopes and expectations for the future: what they want ORR to do differently or better; how they would like to see ORR evolve.

A number of in-depth interviews were carried out with a range of influential figures in the rail industry.

Findings from the stakeholder survey

There is a sense of cautious optimism in the rail industry, founded on several years of substantial investment, growing passenger numbers and improved performance. This optimism has been dented a little by the recession, but most stakeholders still appear to believe that the future of the industry is good.

There are of course caveats to this, chief among them the need for a more long term approach and a more cooperative way for stakeholders to work together, especially Network Rail and the TOCs. Relationships are clearly not all satisfactory, and there are strong concerns about an inbalance of power in Network Rail’s favour.

Generally ORR appears to be performing well. Many stakeholders appear largely satisfied with its work both in economic regulation of Network Rail and health and safety. Some are less happy with ORR’s work. They, and some of the better disposed, acknowledge that it has strengths, and that it has a difficult task to perform and a wide range of interests to satisfy and expectations to meet, but would like it to carry out aspects of its work in a different way.

A minority, primarily TOCs, appear to be seriously dissatisfied with Network Rail and by extension, with ORR. Their perspective is that if Network Rail is not providing them with the service it should, this must mean that ORR is not doing its job because it is not regulating Network Rail effectively. A few of these are unlikely ever to be satisfied. The system will not operate perfectly all the time and their aims and targets will not always be met.

Stakeholders’ experience of ORR’s people, communications and decisions suggests that it meets its functional obligations successfully but does not always go beyond these; or goes beyond them in unwanted ways.

Actions in response to survey

Our corporate strategy for 2009-14 makes clear that we want to improve our engagement with stakeholders and develop a more focused and integrated approach to the necessary two-way communication. We have restructured our organisation and now have a new directorate dedicated to external affairs, including stakeholder relations. As we develop our approach we aim to deal with our many stakeholders in a more proactive, strategic and planned way.

Last updated: 4 February 2011

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