Duties of the Office of Rail Regulation
The Board of the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) must discharge the statutory duties placed upon it by section 4 of the Railways Act 1993. The duties are equal in importance and the Board must balance them when exercising its functions. ORR's duties under section 4 include the following:
- To promote improvements in railway service performance;
- Otherwise to protect the interests of users of railway services;
- To promote the use of the railway network in Great Britain for the carriage of passengers and goods, and the development of that railway network, to the greatest extent which it considers economically practicable;
- To contribute to the development of an integrated system of transport of passengers and goods;
- To contribute to the achievement of sustainable development;
- To promote efficiency and economy on the part of persons providing railway services;
- To promote competition in the provision of railway services for the benefit of users of railway services;
- To promote measures designed to facilitate the making by passengers of journeys which involve use of the services of more than one passenger service operator;
- To impose on the operators of railway services the minimum restrictions which are consistent with the performance of ORR’s functions under Part 1 RA 1993 and RA 2005;
- To enable persons providing railway services to plan the future of their businesses with a reasonable degree of assurance;
- To take into account the need to protect all persons from dangers arising from the operation of railways;
- To protect the interests of users and potential users of services for the carriage of passengers by railway provided by a private sector operator, otherwise than under a franchise agreement, in respect of the prices charged for travel by means of those services, and the quality of the service provided;
- To have regard to the effect on the environment of activities connected with the provision of railway services;
- To protect the interests of persons providing services for the carriage of passengers or goods by railway in their use of any railway facilities which are for the time being vested in a private sector operator, in respect of the prices charged for such use and the quality of the service provided;
- In the case of functions other than its safety functions as an enforcing authority for the purposes of the HSWA 1974, to have regard to any general guidance given to it by the Secretary of State about railway services or other matters relating to railways;
- To act in a manner which it considers will not render it unduly difficult for persons who are holders of network licences to finance any activities or proposed activities of theirs in relation to which ORR has functions;
- To have regard to any notified strategies and policies of the National Assembly of Wales and the ability of the National Assembly of Wales to carry out its functions;
- To have regard to any general guidance given by the Secretary of State, or Scottish Ministers in relation to Scottish railway services, about railway services or other matters relating to railways;
- To have regard to the funds available to the Secretary of State for the purposes of his functions in relation to railways or railways services;
- To have regard to the ability of the Mayor of London and Transport for London to carry out the functions conferred or imposed on them by or under any enactment; and;
- To have regard, in particular, to the interests of persons who are disabled in relation to services for the carriage of passengers by railway or to station services.
- To have regard to the interests, in securing value for money, of the users or potential users of railway services, of persons providing railway services, of the persons who make available the resources and funds and of the general public.
