Skip to main content

Skip to main content

Glossary

Browse the A-Z below for some rail-specific terms that are used in this website, together with their meanings.
 

Choose a letter below:

  1. Show all
  2. 0-9
  3. A
  4. B
  5. C
  6. D
  7. E
  8. F
  9. G
  10. H
  11. I
  12. J
  13. K
  14. L
  15. M
  16. N
  17. O
  18. P
  19. Q
  20. R
  21. S
  22. T
  23. U
  24. V
  25. W
  26. X
  27. Y
  28. Z
 

O

OFT

The Office of Fair Trading.

OLE

Overhead line electrification equipment.

Open access

Open access passenger train operators are those who operate services purely on a commercial basis, i.e. not under either a franchise or a concession agreement. These are companies who identify an opportunity to run a service which is not currently being provided, and they apply to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for the necessary track access rights and to Network Rail for train paths in the timetable. Open access passenger operators include Hull Trains and Grand Central.