RSSB Consultancy Services: the widest view gives you the most focused answers
Because RSSB carries out the first-principles engineering that defines standards and best practice in rail, we can offer your business consultants working at the cutting edge of rail innovation. Plus our whole-industry view means we have the hands-on experience that allows us to identify and share the most effective solutions.
We see the whole picture
An industry-wide view is especially necessary in rail. Britain’s rail network is a complex system, full of interdependencies that dictate which solutions will work – and which won’t.
On top of that, the industry has many unique quirks and characteristics. It blends cutting-edge technology with Victorian engineering, underpinned by infrastructure created to last for decades or even centuries, and run by thousands of people in hundreds of different roles.
It’s vital to understand how this all fits together, even when dealing with a single challenge for a single organisation. Working every day on the complex challenges faced by rail operators, infrastructure partners and suppliers gives our specialists a real edge.
We’re pragmatic and collaborative
We do everything we can to make our answers work in the real world – not just on paper.
Our collaborative approach lets us synthesise information from research and best practice originating in academia, rail’s frontline staff and end users, other industries – and, of course, our clients themselves. Decades of experience leading cross-industry groups gives us the wide view and practical expertise to slot it all together.
“The only source of knowledge is experience.”
Albert Einstein
Some recent projects
We’ve helped one client overhaul their documentation for Safe Systems of Work, drawing on our decades of experience in safety and health, human factors and risk management. The end result was documentation that was shorter and more usable – but still compliant, with no compromises on safety, and complete with all crucial information. Our seasoned, hands-on project lead was a specialist in principal rail operations with significant experience: in delivering standards, with the Rule Book, and in contributing to safer, smarter rail. We incorporated input from our client, including planners, managers, supervisors and end users.
We’re also working to minimise wear and tear in the humble railway point system. Our experts undertook a literature review and horizon scanning project to understand how 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies could be used, and the possible benefits over the next 40 years in terms of sustainability, environmental improvements and cost benefits. We built on two decades of engineering and horizon scanning experience by canvassing experts from the rail industry, academia and other industries.
The widest view of the industry, in the industry
When asking a challenging question, it pays to consult those already closest to the answer. What places RSSB there is our unique whole-system, big-picture expertise.
RSSB’s consultancy is just one of the ways we’re keeping Britain moving with safer, smarter rail.
