Evaluation of Railway Safety Regulations 1999

The Railway Safety Regulations (RSR) 1999 required the installation of a form of train protection on the railway, and the staged withdrawal of Mark I rolling stock and of rolling stock with hinged doors but without central locking. Evaluation of the RSR post-implementation shows that the RSR have had a positive and real influence on safety related practices in the rail industry.

The consultation document on the evaluation of Railway Safety Regulations (RSR) 1999 was published on 30 May for comments by 13 July 2007. A total of 62 organisations were consulted and we received 12 responses.

Key findings

  • Most respondents agree that the basic objectives of the Regulations have clearly been met with the completion of TPWS fitment programme and withdrawal of Mark I rolling stock (apart from heritage vehicles and two 3-car units on the Lymington Branch between Brockenhurst and Lymington for which exemptions have been granted);
  • There is general agreement that the fitment of TPWS has been an enormous success in terms of reduction in SPAD risk;
    Almost all respondents agree that the withdrawal of Mark I vehicles have resulted in the introduction of newer, more modern trains with associated benefits;
  • More than 58% have suggested that the Regulations should be retained to ensure that the higher safety specifications which they require the industry to meet continue to be delivered;
  • Some have pointed out that speeding up the installation of TPWS may have resulted in reliability issues with equipment that was not fully developed, sourced from a single supplier. This may have contributed to around 10% of the total in-service failures in most fleets; and
  • One third of respondents do not see the value in retaining the Regulations and suggest that the key requirements of the legislation could be reflected in the Railway Group Standards and ROGS Regulations.

The future of the Railway Safety (Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 1997 and Railway Safety Regulations 1999.

Page updated: 22 July 2009

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