Deviations

Section 6 of the Railway Group Standards Code sets out, in detail, the procedures to be followed for the management of deviations from Railway Group Standards. A deviation is a permission to comply with a specified alternative to a measure or measures in circumstances where it is not appropriate to change the relevant RGS. Such a deviation may be approved by the relevant Standards Committee if the conditions defined within the Railway Group Standards Code are met. Following Standards Committee approval, a deviation is authorised by RSSB via the issuing of an appropriate deviation certificate.

In accordance with the requirements of the Railway Group Standards Code, all applicants for deviations are required to consult with all those industry parties that could be materially affected by the proposed deviation. Further guidance may be found by following the link below.

The following file is a generic version of the template form that RSSB use to report to Standards Committees on consultations on changes to Railway Group Standards. You may find this useful in reporting the results of consultations to Standards Committee.

Under issue three of the Railway Group Standards Code, two types of deviation are permitted from RGS. It is important to select the correct type of deviation before applying. Briefly, the types are as set out below. Further details can be found by following the links for each type.

A Derogation is a deviation that is valid indefinitely.

A Temporary non-compliance is a deviation that is valid for a finite amount of time until compliance with the relevant RGS can be achieved. Note this is for no more than 12 months.

Authorised deviations are recorded in the deviations register

Deviations Register Please note: this document is over 3Mb and best printed on A3 landscape paper

Derogations in Force Against Withdrawn Standards Register

If you have any queries regarding deviations please contact Anna Apicella on 020 7904 7550.