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
     

  • R

  • RAB

    Regulatory asset base: The Office of Rail Regulation's calculation of the value of Network Rail's assets.

  • RAIB

    Rail Accident Investigation Branch

  • Railway facility

    Section 83(1) of the Railways Act 1993 defines “railway facility” as follows:
    “any track, station or light maintenance depot”.

  • Railway Group Standards

    Railway Group Standards (RGS) are produced in accordance with the railway group standards code. The purpose of RGS is to facilitate the management and operation of the shared system that is the mainline railway.

  • Railway services

    “Railway services” are defined in section 82(1) of the Railways Act 1993 as “services of any of the following descriptions:
    (a) services for the carriage of passengers by railway;
    (b) services for the carriage of goods by railway;
    (c) light maintenance services;
    (d) station services;
    (e) network services.”

  • Railway undertaking

    In the context of licensing, any private or public undertaking the principal business of which is to provide rail transport services for goods and/or passengers, with a requirement that the undertaking must ensure traction.

  • RCF

    Fatigue cracking on a rail caused by rolling contact stresses from passing wheel-sets. There are several types of RCF, the most notable being Gauge corner cracking.

  • Regulatory allowance

    The expenditure allowed by ORR in calculating the revenue requirement in the access charges review 2003.

  • Renewal

    Major capital works or replacement of the network in order to maintain its required capability. These may be required at specific times but are more often carried out according to Network Rail’s own timetable.

  • RIA

    Regulatory impact assessment

  • RIAC

    Railway Industry Advisory Committee: provides advice to the ORR Board on railway health and safety.

  • Rights review meetings

    Process whereby Network Rail and freight operators meet every six-months to establish whether the operators continue to have commercial needs for existing rights.

  • ROC

    Railway operational code: Established by Network Rail, in consultation with rail industry parties with the objective of sustaining operation of train services on the network in accordance with the Working timetable, the needs of passengers and freight customers; the interests of safety and security; the efficient and economical operation of the network and of trains operating on it, and criteria published by ORR.

  • ROGS

    Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006.

  • ROSCOs

    Rolling stock companies.

  • RSSB

    Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) are an independent, industry-wide body established under the licences of Network Rail and the passenger and freight train operators. RSSB took over from Railway Safety (a subsidiary of Network Rail). principally to run and supervise the system for the establishment, change and abolition of certain mandatory and technical standards for railway assets and railway operations. Its creation was recommended by Lord Cullen’s inquiry into the Ladbroke Grove accident.

  • Rules of plan

    Rules regulating factors necessary to enable trains to be scheduled into the Working timetable, such as engineering and performance allowances.

  • Rules of route

    Rules regulating the location, number, timing and duration of the possession of parts of the network that Network Rail requires to carry out maintenance, renewals and repairs. 

  • RUS

    Route utilisation strategies have been transferred to Network Rail from the former Strategic Rail Authority.