Project overview

For this project, we were approached at Government level to provide our specialist expertise to help create a railway regulatory framework for a South American country. This project, consisting of nine phases of work, initially focussed on technical regulation, especially institutional arrangements and processes required for establishing technical standards.

Project delivery and outcomes

The project was structured into two phases: a detailed assessment of the problem, followed by developing the regulation framework roadmap.

Detailed assessment of the problem

We applied our comprehensive and wide-ranging expertise to perform a rapid assessment of the current railway systems within the South American country. This involved identifying, relevant regulatory governance, systems, and assigned responsibilities. We were able to do this because our subject-matter experts are already among the most informed in the world and regularly engage with rail organisations on compliance matters, as well as to advise on the impact of future legislative and regulatory changes.

We shared with stakeholders a detailed summary report that answered the following questions:

  • How are the railway system regulations within the areas of commercial, economic, safety, standards, climate, and environment currently managed in the client’s country?
  • What are the capabilities, gaps, and anomalies in the client country’s current institutional and management arrangements?
  • What critical milestone timelines are needed to achieve an effective regulatory framework?
  • Are there priority areas requiring regulatory oversight in the short, medium, and long-term?
  • What initial regulatory activities need to be undertaken?
  • What are the high-level legislative implications of the proposed new regulatory framework?

The report was used to set key objectives for a new rail regulatory framework by holding a facilitated workshop to establish and define programme goals, planned activities, and desired results using a Logframe approach.

The final part of phas]e 1 involved producing case studies that demonstrate good regulatory practice from across the world that had specific relevance to the client country’s needs. A review at the end of this phase enabled the client to evaluate these to help prioritise the next phases of work.

Developing The Regulation Framework Roadmap

The client’s review of the relevant case studies was not the only input into the next phase of work. It was also important to prioritise and define regulation framework options we had proposed. Phase 2 started with a series of workshops involving national Government and national railway authority stakeholders, led by us, so that preferred regulation framework options could be selected.

A core task of these workshops was to develop suitable assessment criteria which were put forward at the workshop and included speed/practicality, market reaction, cost of administration, and compatibility within the relevant legal framework. Discussions took place to agree a weighting for each criterion.

We then provided a risk assessment for each option. This gave our clients and their stakeholders a clear understanding of the implications in choosing their preferred option.

Once the preferred option was chosen, our team worked closely with the client and stakeholders to develop a legislative framework and develop a road map for its implementation.

The roadmap included prioritised areas that needed key capabilities and resources at specific times. For example, the roadmap included the institutional changes required, a programme of key activities showing their interdependencies, and the milestones that were crucial to their achievement.

At the conclusion of the project, a meeting was held with all stakeholders to outline the roadmap and propose next steps to enact the regulatory framework. 

Why RSSB?

This project required a detailed understanding of how regulatory frameworks function, the knock-on effects of those frameworks, and how to help rail become safer and smarter. Our legislative and regulatory experts have extensive experience in rail gained over many years and within the UK and abroad. This includes experience in the private sector, the Department for Transport, and the Office of Rail and Road. Our extensive relationships across global Government departments also provide additional opportunities to collaborate on international rail projects.

Our expertise is hands-on, current, and cutting-edge, and covers the whole rail system, not just part of it.

We have a deep understanding of balancing the interests of different parties and the extent of regulation, while ensuring the regulation is fit for purpose, adapts to new developments, and maintains stability. We also have experience in advising companies operating in the rail sector about compliance with regulatory requirements.

This specialist knowledge, combined with our excellent Government relationships and international reputation, meant we were the ideal partner of choice to work with this South American country.