About the Office of Rail Regulation

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain's railways.

ORR Board

The ORR is led by a Board appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport.

Corporate structure

Our executive directors and their responsibilities.

Annual reports

Details of our current and historic annual reports.

Strategy and policy

Details of our strategy and plans as set out in our corporate strategy and business plan.

Functions and duties

How we operate as independent rail regulator.

  • Functions - Statutory functions are the legal powers Parliament has given us.
  • Duties - Statutory duties are the objectives we must aim to achieve when exercising our functions.
  • Memoranda of understanding – We have agreements in place with some government departments and other bodies to promote effective co-ordination and co-operation in our respective regulatory roles.

Accountability

As independent regulator we operate within the framework set by UK and EU legislation and are accountable through Parliament and the courts.

  • Complaints – How we handle complaints about the industry and about ourselves.
  • Freedom of information – If you require information from ORR that is not already available on this website, you can place a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
  • Parliamentary Committee Evidence – Contains references to evidence ORR has submitted to Parliamentary Committees.
  • We are committed to transparency in our decision making and to giving full reasons for our decisions.

Working at ORR

If you're interested in working with us, use this section to find out more about how we look after our staff and check if we have any vacancies.

Supplying ORR

The ORR procurement unit is responsible for purchasing the goods and services necessary for ORR to perform our role as the safety and economic regulator of the rail industry.

In order to improve  efficiency both for ORR and suppliers we have introduced an online eTendering system. The system allows us to publish notices, pre-qualification questionnaires and invitations to tender online, and allows potential suppliers to submit any queries and their responses electronically.

Contact us

If you need to contact someone in ORR.

ORR history

A brief history of rail regulation since the railways were privatised in 1994.

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