Introduction
Sir Peter Parker, Chairman of the British Rail Board in 1976–1983, famously said that ‘railways tend to fall down on their interfaces’. System Interface Committees (SICs) are senior cross-industry technical groups. Currently, there are six SICs, which help the railway industry manage these interfaces in an effective, safe, and cost-efficient way.
SICs act at a strategic and tactical level by identifying opportunities, commissioning studies, and championing research findings. They evaluate solutions and make recommendations in the best interest of the railway as a whole. Their recommendations inform decisions and standards.
Visit the RSSB website for further information on SICs.
The Data and Information System Interface Committee (DI SIC) assists the rail industry by collectively providing expertise and strategic knowledge in the areas of data governance and data exploitation.
The committee’s remit includes the provision of advice and expertise to:
support the development of the Rail Data Marketplace
identify and promote opportunities to advance data interoperability and exploitation
identify existing data standards and protocols for adoption by the rail industry
identify the need for new data standards and protocols for adoption by the rail industry.
DI SIC is made up of representatives from passenger and freight train operators, rolling stock owners and leasing companies, infrastructure managers, and suppliers. It has one representative from RSSB and observers from the Department for Transport and the Office of Rail and Road.
DI SIC is looking for an infrastructure contractor representative. Please get in touch to express your interest.
Have you used work that DI SIC initiated and steered? We welcome feedback, suggestions for improvement, and offers to champion wider application. We would also like to hear about your own work and challenges that you are facing relating to data.
Further information on DI SIC’s work is available on the RSSB website.
Contact Roisin Mulvany, Lead Industry Groups Manager, for further information or to get involved:
Roisin.Mulvany@rssb.co.uk
Find further invitations to take part in research projects or join steering groups in the articles that follow.
Many SIC activities are guided by and support the Rail Technical Strategy, which is made up of five functional priorities and three critical enablers. We have indicated which priority or enabler an activity supports using the following icons.
