Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Rail Industry Standard (RIS)?

A RIS is a voluntary standard that a group of members of RSSB, including at least one duty holder, have requested RSSB to produce and which that group has agreed to work to.

A RIS defines functional or technical provisions in circumstances when management of the railway system or subsystems does not necessitate co-operation between duty holders but where there are expected to be economic benefits from that group all doing things in the same way.

A RIS is not mandatory unless or until an infrastructure manager or a railway undertaking specifies all or part of it in company procedures or contract conditions. Where this is the case, the infrastructure manager or the railway undertaking will specify the nature and extent of application. Specific compliance requirements and dates are therefore not specified in the RIS itself.