Research that helps the whole industry
Building on existing knowledge and solutions to unlock industry’s potential.
Luisa Moisio Director of Research, RSSB
RSSB’s research programme has delivered hundreds of projects since the company’s inception 20 years ago, many of which have brought significant improvements to the GB rail network.
Our whole-system risk approach enables us to conduct research with a holistic view of the country’s rail system, which means that we can help bring about wide-ranging, long-term change.
Much of our railway’s infrastructure, assets, and systems are decades old and firmly embedded into the network’s daily operations. They’re also owned and managed by multiple different stakeholders. So, in many cases, it would be impractical to try to reinvent the wheel. Instead, when the need for optimisation or modernisation becomes apparent, our research team works with organisations to make the most of these existing assets.
One prime example is our research on the use of trailing sanders. For several years, concerns about the effect of trailing sanders on train detection prevented their use. Train detection is key for safe signalling, but sanding is crucial for wheel-rail adhesion, so weighing up the risk profile for each issue was important.
RSSB’s research was able to demonstrate that allowing already fitted sanders to discharge sand resulted in a better risk balance. With no capital investment required, the implementation of trailing sanders was affordable, efficient, and safe.
It’s our innovative view of the network, combined with our deep understanding of how the industry operates, that allows us—together with our valuable collaborators—to maximise our assets.
Our collaborators also allow us to work across organisational and sectoral boundaries. RSSB works with industries outside of rail, including other transport sectors, to obtain vital knowledge about technologies and systems that could bring benefit to the network. We also partner with various universities and other institutions to further strengthen our research offering.
Equally, we unite various sections of rail in driving innovation forward. Bringing track and train together, the RSSB research programme helps develop and deliver solutions that benefit the entire network rather than just individual parts of it. Because we are able to facilitate and commit to such connections over time, we can address network-wide issues jointly with our member organisations and make strides toward safer, better-performing operations.
Our research informs standards as well. Harmonised rail and intersystem operability are key for the industry and RSSB, and we develop and maintain engineering and operational standards on behalf of the GB rail industry.
These standards are very much underpinned by the research projects that RSSB carries out. For example, one recent project looked at passenger feedback on seat comfort in new rolling stock. To help guide a strategy for improving comfort ratings on future builds, we devised a methodology for assessing comfort and a set of minimum and target provisions. A new industry guidance note has adopted this methodology and will determine the seat design for newly built carriages going forward.
RSSB has also carried out a research project to maximise the use of freight couplers. Armed with the knowledge that freight couplers had seen gradual improvements in their mechanical performance over the years, we were keen to understand what these advances could mean for freight loads.
RSSB re-examined freight couplers against factors such as track gradient, line curvature, and overall loading, and we determined that it would be safe to run longer freight trains using these improved couplers. These results have now been captured in a technical note for industry, which should allow a swift uptake.
RSSB also engages in long-term research for long-term impact, and we have several projects of this type in the pipeline. For instance, some are in response to rail’s need to adapt to increasing extreme weather events in the UK.
Some solutions already exist, but implementing them risks disrupting train services. RSSB’s research programme is supporting the investigations in this area, looking particularly at where to make investments for the greatest improvement in the network’s climate readiness with the least disruption.
We’re also looking at how to safely introduce battery trains, which will help support industry’s sustainability goals by eliminating the need for diesel-only passenger trains. And another research project in the pipeline will investigate the benefits of implementing ETCS on the East Coast, which could bring meaningful opportunities for future route knowledge requirements. In both of these areas, our research programme aims to inform requirements around testing, which can help ensure a safe, rapid introduction of new equipment on our network.
These are just a few examples of where our comprehensive, system-wide research can help transform the GB rail network. Working with stakeholders across—and beyond—the industry, we can carry out research projects that deliver tangible benefits for efficiency, safety, sustainability, and performance.
Visit our website for information on our research programme and the projects we’re working on.
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