Research ready to use
Helping rail freight plan with more confidence
What prevents track workers from reporting safety concerns?Assess the interoperability of your data
Clearer signs, safer decisions
A new tool assesses the capability of bridges to handle heavy axle weight freight services.
Across much of the network, Heavy Axle Weight (HAW) freight operates under special dispensation. Dispensation can be withdrawn at short notice if the condition of assets on the route—such as bridges—deteriorates. This uncertainty is a major constraint on planning and investment for freight operators and their customers.
The research—jointly funded with Network Rail and delivered by the University of Southampton—has developed the demonstrator of a new tool that predicts future route accessibility for HAW traffic.
The tool focuses on metal and masonry underline bridges. By combining analytical modelling, laboratory testing, and real-world data, the tool provides a far more robust view of how route capability may change over time.
For freight operators and customers, the tool offers a journey-based overview of the potential for heavy axle weight freight traffic. It will improve confidence in future route availability and support investment. The technical analysis of masonry and metal bridges provides useful insight to Network Rail and structures engineering consultancies during works on underline bridges.
Access the research findings at rssb.co.uk/ research-catalogue (search for T1300).We welcome interest from organisations who could trial the demonstrator and provide feedback. Contact Paul Gray, Professional Lead, Engineering:Paul.Gray@rssb.co.uk
New guidance helps organisations improve workforce reporting, so that more safety concerns are shared and acted upon.
Organisations that employ track workers, such as Network Rail, principal contractors, and agencies, each provide channels for their staff to report safety concerns. The mechanisms of these channels differ by organisation. They are supplemented by external services such as CIRAS Confidential Reporting.
The research engaged with track workers from across the industry to understand their perceptions of workforce reporting and uncover what might prevent them from using the available channels. We used the findings to provide organisations with insights into these barriers and practical steps to tackle them.
Recommendations range from clarification and simplification of processes to cultural shifts. Reviewing reporting channels and adopting the recommended improvements will make it easier for track workers to share safety concerns and help them feel motivated to so. Organisations, in turn, will better understand the risks facing their workforce and how to address them.While the research focused on track workers, the findings are also relevant to other frontline roles.
‘Good reporting is at the heart of accurate, insightful health and safety data. While simple process is important, it is also the behaviour of leaders to be transparent and open to health and safety reporting along with effective, efficient action to those events, that helps lead the railway industry to excellent health and safety management. This research has some great insights to help us continue our leadership development toward excellent health and safety.’
Rupert Lown, Safety, Security, Health, and Environment Director, DFTO
Download the good practice guide from RSSB's research catalogue (search for T1323).
For support with putting the findings into practice in your organisation, contact Tom Preece, Research Analyst: Tom.Preece@rssb.co.uk
Being able to easily integrate your data with other datasets drives valueand innovation.
Data interoperability describes how easily a dataset can be shared and used across different systems, organisations, or applications with minimal manual effort. Our research has developed a prototype web-based tool that enables users to assess their data’s inter-operability and understand how to improve it.
The tool assesses datasets against six dimensions:
Semantic—clarity on what the data means.
Syntactic—the structure and formats used.
Technological—the underpinning infrastructure and automation.
External sharing—the level of openness and conditions of use under which the data is shared.
Data quality information.
Service level provision—the level and nature of support provided by the data owner.
The tool is aimed at data professionals such as data engineers, data architects, and particularly data system owners. The ratings it generates support app developers, system suppliers, and others considering using a source for their own business purposes. It will also help data system owners to make decisions, including investment ones, on increasing the level of data interoperability.
‘Data interoperability in rail has largely been treated as an ad hoc problem, addressed by individual organisations without a shared basis for assessing the issue. What we now have thanks to this research addresses that directly: a six-dimensional maturity framework, tested against real industry datasets, that gives data owners and decision-makers a common language for understanding where their data sits and what improving its interoperability would involve.’
Leon Kong, Head of Data & Innovation, Greater Anglia and Head of Integrated Data Strategy, GBRX
The prototype toolkit can be accessed at: https://uat-api.rssb.co.uk/futures-lab/fl-poc/data-interoperability-framework. We welcome your feedback.
See the underlying research at rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue (search for T1349).
We are keen to work with users of the tool to better understand the insights it generates and consider improvements and additions, driven by users’ needs. Contact Liz Davies, Professional Lead, Data and Modelling: Liz.Davies@rssb.co.uk
New, ready-to-use trespass signage designs will help the public understand the dangers at stations and level crossings.
Trespass is when a person is on the railway without permission. It remains a significant safety and performance challenge on the GB network. Trespass events make up around 20% of all safety events reported into Safe Insights and, on average, around 14,000 trespass incidents are reported annually.
In 2024–25 these led to 17 fatalities and 85 severe injuries. Trespass-related incidents have a major impact on train services, contributing to approximately 908,000 delay minutes annually. Trespass signage has developed inconsistently over time across the network, with variations in wording, design, and placement. This limits theeffectiveness of signs in communicating risk and influencing behaviour.
To deepen our understanding of trespass behaviour and how members of the publicinterpret safety signs, we combined desk research with site visits, industry workshops, public focus groups, and extensive user testing.Stakeholders from Network Rail, train operating companies, and British Transport Police all contributed.The findings showed that many members of the public do not fully understand the risks of the railway environment, particularly electrified infrastructure. Existing signage suffers from clutter, inconsistent messaging, and poor visibility.We developed a ready-to-use suite of standardised trespass signage designs foruse at stations and level crossings, along with placement guidance. The guidance helps infrastructure managers, operators, and station
teams to review existing arrangements or address known trespass hotspots. They will be able to identify where signage is likely to be most effective, how it should be positioned within the environment, and how it can be integrated with wider trespass mitigation measures such as fencing and wayfinding.
Download the designs and guidance from rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue (search for T1357) to improve trespass signage at your locations.For further information, contact Adonis Meha,Research Analyst: Adonis.Meha@rssb.co.uk
