How rail standards save industry millions each year
Cliff Cork breaks down the cost-saving power of standards and busts their biggest myth.
There is a real need to raise industry awareness on the role and benefits of the application of standards.
Cliff CorkChair of Industry Standards Coordination Committee, RSSB European Standards Representative
Can you kick us off by telling us a little about your career in rail, and your role as RSSB European Standards Contractor for Rolling Stock and Plant?
I started my railway career back in 1972, it’s been focussed on rolling stock, including maintenance and overhaul, scheduling, procurement, and standardisation. I started in a maintenance depot. I have specialised in a range of engineering projects and standards development and looked after fleet maintenance across what was then the whole Southern Region. I was then project manager delivering a new fleet of rolling stock and fleet leasing. I moved into standards development with the company that became RSSB. I eventually retired from RSSB in the position of Head of Infrastructure, Electrification and Rolling Stock, leading a team of engineers and project managers.
Now, I represent the UK on the key European Standards body for Railway Standards, CEN/TC 256. Later I became the chair of this committee. It produces all mechanical related standards for railways across Europe. It has members from the EU, as well as several non-EU countries including the UK. That’s how I am now a RSSB European Standards Contractor.
One of the biggest challenges in the modern rail industry is cost reduction. 2024's Annual Standards Report estimates benefits to industry of £74 million. How can standards have such a significant financial impact?
All standards changes introduced on the UK network are supported by a cost-benefit analysis. While some standards change can clearly show some financial benefit, it must be shown that such changes are not disproportionate to one party only. For example, the withdrawal of lineside signalling reduces the assets of the infrastructure manager and the ongoing maintenance and operational costs. However, they may increase the operational and maintenance costs on rolling stock and railway undertakings.
The holistic benefits and costs must be fully understood before implementation.
There’s so much you could say, but can you give us one example of how the standards changes in the 2024 report will save costs?
Just in rolling stock, the report highlighted eight rolling stock standards published in 2024. One key example is the Rail Industry Standard for Driving Cabs. It sets out requirements, explains the rationale, and gives guidance for the design, layout, and equipment in driving cabs of rail vehicles.
Why is it so impactful? It addresses side glazing in driving cabs to support drivers aligning with station features. It looks at thermal comfort including air conditioning. It updates the illumination of cab footsteps to reduce the risk of injury when getting in or out of the driving cab after dark. It also has guidance on good practice in human factors for driving cab design.
Adopting this human-centric design approach will improve the daily lives of drivers and is expected to bring savings of £800,000 over the next five years.
What advice would you give to rail leaders who want to make better use of standards to reduce costs?
The best advice is to seek guidance from those experienced in the actual application of standards. This may well be within your own organisation. Misconception or even myth can often exist among those not closely associated with the use of standards.
Remember, RSSB gives unbiased advice and regularly responds to queries about the use and benefits of standards. If you don’t know, there is always someone who can advise and help.
You’re also the Independent Chair of Industry Standards Co-ordination Committee (ISCC). Can you share some of the goals and challenges the committee faces?
Following my retirement from RSSB, I became independent chair of the ISCC. It’s the senior stakeholder group dealing with matters related to standards for the GB mainline railway. It oversees the work of the standards committees and provides direction, advice, and guidance on the management and effectiveness of standards. That includes National Technical Specification Notices, the impact of legislative changes on standards, and the appropriate use of railway standards as a means of improving efficiency.
The committee also advises the Department for Transport and the Office of Rail and Road on the role of requirements as national rules, and their implications for the management of the GB mainline railway. ISCC reports to the RSSB Board through the Director of Standards.
There is a real need to raise industry awareness on the role and benefits of the application of standards. ISCC has produced simple training tools to help improve and demonstrate a practitioner’s competence in standards. It also encourages projects to seek guidance and assistance from RSSB specialists and the use of standards’ surgeries and seminars.
The committee members represent a wide cross-section of the industry, and report back on their interfaces with standards. They’ve identified many innovative approaches to exploit the benefits of standardisation and share best practice.
Finally, are there any misconceptions about standards in the rail industry?
There are always perceived costs associated with the application of standards. Some see standards as barriers to project implementation. This can be the case when people first encounter them. BUT engaging with projects on a regular basis will lead to a greater understanding of the benefits of using common standards.
Another myth is that standards are very rigid. Standards aren’t set in stone. If you have an alternative approach, and a risk assessment that can demonstrate it mitigates the risks the standard controls, you could be granted a deviation. All deviations are considered by the applicable standards committee. They look at each deviation to ensure a clear solution is proposed that mitigates the relevant risks.
Recently, the Infrastructure Standards Committee held deviation surgeries. These allow projects that may require a deviation to discuss the details of the application before submission. Often, these discussions lead to a better understanding of the requirements of the standard, even actual compliance with the standard. These insights sometimes lead to the standards in question being refined.
ISCC has always encouraged ‘standards challenge’ where standards appear to be a barrier to implementing a project or incurring unjustified costs. Again, analysis often reveals such barriers to be based on misconceptions of the true benefits.
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