Introduction
From Luisa Moisio, Director of Research and Development
All RSSB research aims to bring about positive, tangible change in the railway industry. Many findings help to make the most of today’s railway, by providing vital evidence to challenge and optimise existing ways of doing things.
In this issue of the quarterly update we tell you about a project to reassess weight limits on freight loads. By bringing the limits up to date with the capability of modern locomotives and couplers via a sound methodology, we are unlocking the potential for freight locomotives to haul heavier loads using existing equipment. At a time of tight budgets and financial uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to find improvements in efficiency, safety, and performance that can be made rapidly, and without capital expenditure.
These findings often take the form of toolkits and good practice guides. In this issue we invite you to start putting into practice the latest guidance on professional driving policies and train regulation decisions.
Other research focuses on improving existing assets and capabilities, by developing and testing improvements to existing solutions. The Safety Risk Model (SRM) has been helping people in GB rail take sound, risk-based decisions for over two decades. We recently launched a new version which – underpinned by research – both makes the most of today’s wide availability of data and gives users more flexibility to model local conditions. The latest version has been used in high-profile projects across the railway, proving the value of reviewing and upgrading safety modelling capabilities.
Finally, some research looks to initiate or enable more fundamental change. We work with academia and industrial partners to enable pre-commercial development of more radical ideas. And for solutions closer to deployment but that have never been applied to the GB rail network, RSSB expertise in safety and standardisation help to de-risk and make their introduction more efficient. For example, in this issue, we cover the work we are doing on aerodynamic risk to de-risk superfast freight.
Whatever the driver for change, the success of RSSB research depends on people and organisations across the railway industry working with us. From sharing issues where research can make a difference, to helping to shape and steer projects, to acting as early adopters, we need your input. Each of the featured projects includes contact details, or drop me a line for a broader discussion on how you can get involved.
Luisa Moisio, Director of Research and DevelopmentLuisa.Moisio@rssb.co.uk
Much of our research supports the Rail Technical Strategy, which comprises five key priorities. We also research topics to help improve the health and wellbeing of railway staff and those who use the network.
Where our research specifically feeds into any of those, we use these icons.
