Introduction
From Luisa Moisio, Director of Research
I’m pleased to report some great success stories in the ‘In Action’ section of this issue. One of our best-known pieces of research involved extensive lab and on-track testing of different sander configurations and settings. We sought solid evidence on the difference these make to braking in low-adhesion conditions. The findings were clear: variable-rate sanders—which apply more sand depending on the speed of the train—improve braking in low adhesion so much that accidents and disruption in autumn could become a thing of the past.
Having worked closely with two operators to support retrofitting of variable-rate sanders—Northern on their Class 323 fleet and South Western Railway on their Class 158 and 159 fleets—I was delighted to hear that neither reported any low-adhesion slide incidents involving these fleets last autumn.
Celebrations are often good moments to reflect on what we can learn and do differently next time. For example, why has it taken 5 years from the completion of the on-track testing to see this solution move into wider use on the operational railway? What could we—RSSB and our research programme, in particular—have done to accelerate progress?
In the context of rail reform, there can be the temptation to wait for structural changes to solve thorny problems, including speeding up innovation. Of course, stronger ownership and accountability by Great British Railways for the overall journey from research to innovation will be brilliant. But what can be done by us today? With your help, we can continue to pursue improvement in the way research is scoped, delivered, communicated, and more rapidly transitioned into use. Together, we can nurture knowledge sharing and collaboration across the whole sector and beyond to avoid duplication and create synergies. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of many across the industry, the Rail Technical Strategy is a live direction of travel to inspire and focus our collective efforts.
As always, RSSB is here to help. Each article in Research Highlights includes contact details because only by working together can we make research more impactful.
Luisa Moisio, Director of ResearchLuisa.Moisio@rssb.co.uk
RSSB’s cross-industry Research Programme enables a safe and efficient railway by providing knowledge and solutions to best utilise existing assets and unlock future change.
The research challenges and opportunities we focus on require strong collaboration across the rail industry and benefit greatly from the steer and coordination RSSB provides, with its independence, strong technical capabilities, and world-class risk modelling and analysis expertise.
The Research Programme is mostly funded by the Department for Transport. We also owe a big thanks to many organisations across the industry that provide significant in-kind support to research, co-fund work with us, and pioneer translating the findings into positive change on the railway.
Much of our research supports the Rail Technical Strategy, which comprises five functional 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.
