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Railway Safety Directive

The objective of the Railway Safety Directive (RSD) is to create a common European regulatory framework for safety, particularly the maintenance of Safety Management Systems (SMS).  It is intended that a common approach will help to break down technical barriers to establish international transport operations and a single market for rail transport services in Europe. The purpose of the RSD is to:

  1. harmonise the regulatory structure across Europe;
  2. define responsibilities between various players (operators, infrastructure, national safety authority, etc);
  3. develop common safety targets and methods (to be developed by a European Commission (EC) agency called the European Railways Agency (ERA);
  4. establish safety authorities and accident investigating bodies; and
  5. define common principles for the management, regulation and supervision of railway safety.

Following the coming into force of the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority for Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems) Regulations 2006, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), which is independent of the railways, is the safety authority in Great Britain, as required in (d) above, in accordance with the Railways Act 2005.