Glossary

Association of Community Rail Partnerships

Access disputes committee : A committee which resolves disputes under the Network Code. Its members are professional railway employees, elected by rail industry parties. The ADC does not hear or decide disputes under the Network Code. Instead it supervises the overall access disputes process and appoints a panel drawing on appropriate expertises to resolve the dispute.

Access dispute resolution rules: Rules which govern the handling of rail disputes arising from matters covered by the Network Code.

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) is an incorporated association owned by its members. It was set up by the train operating companies, formed during privatisation of the railways under the Railways Act 1993.

As well as being the official voice of the passenger rail industry, it also provides its members with a range of services that enable them to comply with conditions laid on them in their franchise agreements and operating licences. These include the National Rail Enquiry Service (NRES) and Railcard marketing.  

ATOC's principal activities include assisting members to co-operate on developing and managing projects that benefit passengers and to promote the advantages of the rail network.

British Standards Institute.

Cost benefit analysis.

Competition Commission

The CC conducts in-depth inquiries into mergers, markets and the regulation of the major regulated industries, undertaken in response to a reference made to it by another authority.

An unintended change of aspect (red, yellow, green) by the signalling system, which when tested, could not be found to be faulty. (No Fault Found.) 

(Signalling systems are designed to ‘fail safe’ with any change always being to a more restrictive aspect, e.g. yellow to red.)

Control of industrial major accident hazard

The committee charged with considering and approving changes to the Network Code under part C of the Network Code.

Control of Major Accident Hazards

Places an obligation on Network Rail to provide only a certain number of train paths through the cordon (route), even if the TOC has rights that would exceed this limit.

A cordon cap is implemented when the total number of access rights to a path, if used, would exceed the remaining capacity of the network.

Crown Prosecution Service

Channel Tunnel Safety Authority

Delay Attribution Board : Body that manages and oversees the effectiveness and accuracy of the delay attribution process and the use of the Delay Attribution Guide (see below).  Also considers proposed amendments to Delay Attribution Guide and provides guidance to rail industry parties to assist in the resolution of disagreements concerning delay attribution. 

Delay attribution guide : Document that provides guidance on the attribution of delay, between parties, across the network.

Docklands Light Railway

Department for Work & Pensions

East Coast Main Line

Employer’s liability compulsory insurance

Document outlining the conclusions resulting from the Phase 1 changes (see below) to the Network Code.

European rail traffic management system.

A provision of part J of the Network code which deals with a TOC’s failure to use Quantum firm rights (see below).  A failure to use occurs if a TOC fails to secure one or more Train slots in respect of its Quantum firm rights or a TOC fails to use a train slot included in the working timetable (see below) and which relates to a Quantum firm right.

A notice issued by ORR if it considers that there is a Failure to use by a TOC.  The notice details certain rights which the TOC is required to surrender in relation to its Failure to use.

The Financial efficiency index tracks changes in Network Rail’s operating, maintenance and plain-line track renewal expenditure normalised to take account of changes in the volume of work required.

Total maintenance expenditure is “normalised” for the change in equated track miles (a measure of track type, length, traffic tonnage and speed). Plain-line track renewals expenditure is normalised for changes in the volume of track renewed.

Network Rail has changed the basis for calculating the FEI between 2004-05 and 2005-06 therefore any year-on-year comparisons should be treated with caution.

On 19 January 2004, the Secretary of State for Transport announced to Parliament a government review of the railway industry, which detailed a number of necessary reforms.

Great Western Main Line

The Health and Safety Commission merged with the HSE on 1 April 2008.

Health and Safety at Work etc Act, 1974.

International Liaison Group of Government Railway Inspectorates

Alternative name for the access dispute resolution committee, the committee appointed under the access dispute resolution rules (ADRR).

International Quality & Productivity Centre

Institution of Railway Signal Engineers

Joint performance improvement plan: A less prescriptive successor to Local output commitments.  A JPIP is based on a two-way obligation of Network Rail and the train operating company (TOC) to improve performance.

Local Authority Unit

London Underground Ltd

Any engineering, maintenance or renewal project which requires a possession of one or more sections of track extending over one year, or a period which contains two or more Passenger change dates.

Notice of engineering works given by Network Rail that involve a possession (taking control of a part of the network) in relation to a Major project.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations

National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health

National ERTMS programme (formerly SNEP)

Network business means:

(i) the business of providing and operating the licence holder’s network, including the maintenance, renewal, replacement, improvement, enhancement and development of the network;
(ii) any ancillary service related to the business and activities in paragraph (i);
and, without limitation, includes:
(a) the purpose of financing the business in paragraph (i) and the services in paragraph (ii); and
(b) any payment or transaction lawfully made or undertaken by the licence holder for a purpose within conditions 4.13(b)(i) to (vii)

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, Grand Central and Wrexham & Shropshire (WSMR).

Section 6(2) of the Railways Act 1993 defines “operator”, in relation to a railway asset, as:

“the person having the management of that railway asset for the time being”.

For instance, in the case of a train, this would normally be the person from whom the driver takes instructions (that is management instructions rather than signalling instructions).

Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984

Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety

Public Concern at Work

Performance Data Accuracy Code : Establishes the standard of recording of the times at which trains arrive at, depart from or pass specified points, and the difference between those times and the corresponding times published in the Working Timetable.

Directs a party in breach of contract to do, or refrain from doing, anything that the arbitral tribunal making the order considers just and reasonable in the circumstances.

Where the ORR considers how much money Network Rail will require over the next five years and sets track charges for train operating companies (TOCs) and freight operating companies (FOCs) accordingly.

For more information see our section on Periodic reviews.

Permitted business means the Network Business and the Permitted Non-Network Business.

Changes to the Network code as a result of the industry consultation period of 2003/2004.

The Train Accident Precursor Indicator Model (the PIM) managed by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), measures the risk, per million train miles, of a train accident - i.e. collision, derailment, fire or striking a road vehicle on a level crossing. The measure incorporates 82 precursor events in eight groups. Around 65% of the risk arises from events largely under the control or the responsibility of Network Rail, e.g. track geometry, infrastructure failures, environmental factors (flooding, land slips etc.) and level crossing misuse.

The PIM risk indicator was set to a reference value of 100 at the end of March 2002 and the PIM risk indicator provides a measure of the change in risk relative to this level. A reduction in the index is therefore beneficial, denoting a reduction in risk.

Permanent speed restrictions

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992

A firm right for a TOC to operate a number of slots on the timetable over a given period.

Rail Accident Investigation Branch

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

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

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.

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

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. 

Safety Management and interoperability thematic Network for railways systems

Safety management in railways

“Services relating to railways” are defined in section 67(3ZA) of the Railways Act 1993 as:
“(a) railway services;
(b) the provision or maintenance of rolling stock;
(c) the development, maintenance or renewal of a network, station or light maintenance depot; and
(d) the development, provision or maintenance of information systems designed wholly or mainly for facilitating the provision of railway services.”

So far as is reasonably practicable.

Southern region new train programme (Mark 1 replacement and power upgrade)

Transport for London

Train protection and warning system.

International Association of Public Transport

A period of time determined by the ORR in relation to the Failure to use mechanism.

A quota determined by the ORR in relation to the Failure to use mechanism.

Changes made to the part of a track access contract (Schedule 5) which stipulates which railway vehicles are permitted to be used on the network.

West Coast Main Line

Drawn up by Network Rail showing, every train movement on the network. It shows the times of arrival and departure of trains at origin, destination, every intermediate point and appropriate passing points. It also details all the relevant time allowances.

The activities of the WRISA (Wheel Rail Interface System Authority) are now undertaken by the Vehicle/Track System Interface Committee.