Our areas of expertise
Our knowledge, insight and resources cover: rail safety and health. The industry standards that make complex systems work together seamlessly. And social and environmental sustainability within rail.
We also undertake active research and development for the British Government.
We work with the rail industry to understand and manage safety risks. We have a deep understanding of many topics. These include risk and safety intelligence, public behaviour, operations, asset management, occupational health and safety, and health and wellbeing (including mental health and fatigue management).
We can provide independent, evidence-based leadership. We can identify problems and system-level solutions. We do this through our collaborative work on risk analysis and data insight. Our innovative data-led approaches are designed to add value for your business.
We can help you improve productivity and reduce the economic impacts of ill health. Our work produces effective, practical solutions that address pain points specific to rail.
Focus areas include:
Asset integrity
Workforce safety
Public safety
Safety performance monitoring
Train accident risk
Climate change adaptation
To discuss your organisation’s needs in these areas:
Get in touch
Standards help make the railways safer, more efficient and more sustainable. Our technical experts are responsible for setting rail standards around the world. They also advise on standard creation. This gives you access to the latest innovation in this area.
RSSB standards support railway engineering and operations across:
Rolling stock,
Plant
Infrastructure
Electrification
Signalling
Telecoms
Operational systems
Data
Telematics
Our work facilitates economical, efficient management. That could be management of trains, operations or infrastructure,. This improves interoperability throughout the industry and ensures everything is compatible.
Standards are also vital for defining and managing development of technology. This is to improve safety and increase cost-efficiency. This increasingly important field covers topics as diverse as:
Managing cybersecurity risk
Understanding medical requirements
Developing battery and hydrogen trains
Digital signalling
Environmental and social sustainability are essential elements of rail’s future development. Rail is an inherently sustainable form of travel. At RSSB our ambition is to keep improving the industry’s performance on this front .One of our key focus areas is mitigating the increasing safety risks and disruption associated with climate change.
Our technical expertise, implementation tools, and data services can help you:
Reduce emissions (air quality, noise, and carbon)
Better protect the natural environment (water, waste, and biodiversity)
Improve social sustainability (careers, community, and accessibility)
Our work focuses on developing the skills and tools that allow you to monitor, report on, and assure progress in sustainability. We offer the resources, training and guidance you need. Build your organisation’s capability in these areas.
We undertake research and analysis to uncover insight into rail’s specific challenges. We also support innovation that informs and enables a safer, more efficient railway.
Our R&D programme addresses new and unknown risks for rail. It also helps overcome barriers to change. It does this by providing the safety tools, standards and guidance needed to facilitate introduction of new technology.
To improve your preparedness and resilience, we currently focus on current and future challenges around:
Weather resilience and climate change adaptation,
Digitisation
Automation and AI,
In addition, our Futures Lab provides horizon-scanning services. These can help you identify and understand future challenges and opportunities.
Working with RSSB gives you access to the world’s leading technical experts in rail. You will also get tools and approaches used by one of the oldest, safest rail networks in the world. Build transferable knowledge and approaches relevant to rail in any country. And get flexible access to the insight you need, the way you need it.
Improving safety performanceA repository of guidance, tools and resources built up over two decades, covering all areas of rail.
Risk reductionWe advise on reducing system risk as well as supporting safe and effective operations.
Rail technical standardsAccess to standards that help make rail safer, more efficient and sustainable.
Operational safetyWe help you design and co-ordinate railway operations safely and efficiently.
Human factorsKnowledge, tools and techniques to optimise human performance in the workplace.
SustainabilityToolkits and resources that are helping the UK Government deliver sustainable rail.
Health and wellbeingTraining and resources to help you manage and prevent physical and mental ill health.
Rail systems thinkingEffective approaches to understanding and working with complex rail systems.