INDUSTRY RESEARCH PROGRAMME

The RSSB-managed rail industry research programme aims to assist the industry and its stakeholders in achieving key objectives:

• Improving performance in terms of health and safety, reliability, and punctuality
• Increasing capacity and availability
• Reducing cost
• Integrating all of these to compete effectively with other transport modes (or complement them as appropriate) and deliver a sustainable future for the railway

The programme focuses on industry-wide research that no individual company or sector of the industry can address on its own. It therefore includes research covering 'systems' issues across the whole railway, and the engineering interfaces within the railway, as well as the interfaces with other parts of the community.

In managing this programme, RSSB supports collaboration and cooperation with other research organisations and funders, for example the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

Further information on the R&D Programme and how it is managed is to be found in A stakeholder's guide to participating in the RSSB-managed rail industry research and development programme. This document clearly states the purpose of the programme, how it is governed and delivered, and the rights and responsibilities of the parties involved.