Research Catalogue
Welcome to the RSSB research catalogue. The catalogue contains all projects from the 20+ years of the RSSB rail research programme. Please be mindful of the publication date when accessing findings and guidance.
Search for specific research using Ask RSSB or our site search, or use the filters to narrow down options.
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Wheel-rail interface (x)
Attitudes and behaviour (x)
Risk models (x)
Sustainable development (x)
Customer services for passengers (x)
Health and wellbeing (x)
Train design - Components (x)
Infrastructure asset management (x)
Commercial dynamics of transport (x)
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Movement of trains (x)
Human performance (x)
Adhesion (x)
Track design and components (x)
Selection and training (x)
Adaptation to climate change (x)
Whole system design and modelling (x)
Train design - Structure and crashworthiness (x)
Operation of road-rail interfaces including level crossings (x)
Customer services for freight (x)
Rolling stock maintenance (x)
Data and communications systems (x)
Human reliability (x)
Structures (x)
Power supply (x)
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Equipment workplace and environmental design (x)
Traffic supervision and management (x)
Other - Energy and electrification (x)
Security management (x)
Operational Safety (x)
Railways Interoperability (x)
Other - Control command and communication (x)
Other - Rolling stock (x)
Braking systems (x)
Social dynamics of transport (x)
Other - Operations (x)
Other - Infrastructure (x)
Value from data (x)
Rolling stock passenger comfort (x)
Future technologies (x)
Rolling stock testing (x)
Stations management and passenger flow (x)
Rolling stock asset management (x)
Rolling stock condition monitoring and inspection (x)
Other - People behaviour and health (x)
Overhead line equipment (x)
Movement authorities and signalling systems (x)
Energy collection systems (x)
Aerodynamics (x)
Accident investigation and learning (x)
Control and display systems (x)
Safety data analysis (x)
Safety data collection (x)
Education and competence (x)
Other - Interfaces (x)
Rail Standardisation (x)
Safety decision support (x)
Rolling stock fire performance (x)
Electrical safety (x)
Smart grids and energy harvesting (x)
Rolling stock interiors (x)
Signalling - Train detection systems (x)
CCC system integration and life cycle management (x)
Keeping on-track staff safe (x)
CCC asset management (x)
Revenue and ticketing (x)
Signalling - Train protection systems (x)
On board power supplies and monitoring (x)
Derailment (x)
Signalling - People protection and warning systems including level crossings (x)
Gauging (x)
Trespass (x)
Human Factors in event reporting (x)
Energy metering and billing (x)
ADHERE (x)
PERFORM (x)
FREIGHT (x)
DECARB (x)
CLEAR (x)
Enabling AI in Rail (x)
FUTURE RISK (x)
RESILIENT (x)
Clear date filter (x)
Status
Topics
-
Control Command and Communication
- CCC asset management (4)
- CCC system integration and life cycle management (5)
- Control and display systems (16)
- Data and communications systems (43)
- Movement authorities and signalling systems (18)
- Other - Control command and communication (36)
- Signalling - People protection and warning systems including level crossings (2)
- Signalling - Train detection systems (5)
- Signalling - Train protection systems (4)
- Energy and Electrification
- Infrastructure
- Interfaces
-
Operations
- Customer services for freight (46)
- Customer services for passengers (94)
- Keeping on-track staff safe (4)
- Movement of trains (56)
- Operation of road-rail interfaces including level crossings (47)
- Operational Safety (37)
- Other - Operations (33)
- Revenue and ticketing (4)
- Security management (37)
- Stations management and passenger flow (30)
- Traffic supervision and management (38)
-
People Behaviour and Health
- Attitudes and behaviour (125)
- Culture (56)
- Education and competence (13)
- Equipment workplace and environmental design (40)
- Health and wellbeing (93)
- Human Factors in event reporting (1)
- Human performance (55)
- Human reliability (41)
- Job design (40)
- Selection and training (51)
- Trespass (1)
- Other - People behaviour and health (20)
- Policy and Decision Making
-
Rolling stock
- Braking systems (35)
- On board power supplies and monitoring (3)
- Rolling stock asset management (30)
- Rolling stock condition monitoring and inspection (29)
- Rolling stock fire performance (9)
- Rolling stock interiors (5)
- Rolling stock maintenance (45)
- Rolling stock passenger comfort (32)
- Rolling stock testing (30)
- Train design - Components (90)
- Train design - Structure and crashworthiness (49)
- Other - Rolling stock (36)
- Safety and Risk
Programme
Date
From: To:
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Results per page:
Research Project
T1391
End Date: 2026
Complete
Registered
How to enable parcels traffic using existing stations and passenger train dwell times (T1391)
Research Project
T1381
End Date: 2026
Underway
Looking at whether these standard freight gauges can be refined, including a contemporary assessment of vehicle dynamics and a review of the wagon and… Read More
Research Project
T1349
End Date: 2026
Complete
A new framework to help industry define, measure, and improve data interoperability. Read More
Research Project
T1351
End Date: 2026
Complete
This project helped identify major knowledge gaps that require further investigation and identified opportunities for improving freight train air… Read More
Research Project
T1378
End Date: 2026
Underway
Registered
How do professional driving policies for locomotive-hauled trains change under ETCS? (T1378)
Research Project
T1393
End Date: 2026
Complete
This research aimed to improve our understanding of the risk to workers from respirable crystalline silica and non-crystalline silica during… Read More
Research Project
T1398
End Date: 2026
Underway
Registered
Optimising the platform–train interface: prioritised interventions for safer boarding (T1398)
Research Project
T1384
End Date: 2026
Complete
Enabling the industry to develop and deploy a tool to help signallers with regulation, reducing delays. Read More
Research Project
T1392
End Date: 2026
Complete
Introducing AI solutions to the railway is difficult due to a complicated and unclear regulatory landscape. The AI Change Toolkit overcomes this,… Read More
Research Project
T1395
End Date: 2026
Complete
Registered
Building an industry-wide landscape of current and emerging AI-powered applications in rail (T1395)
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Other - Safety and risk (x)
Risk models (x)
Wheel-rail interface (x)
Attitudes and behaviour (x)
Sustainable development (x)
Train design - Components (x)
Customer services for passengers (x)
Infrastructure asset management (x)
Commercial dynamics of transport (x)
Health and wellbeing (x)
Vehicle track dynamics (x)
Movement of trains (x)
Human performance (x)
Station design (x)
Adhesion (x)
Other - Policy and decision making (x)
Selection and training (x)
Whole system design and modelling (x)
Operation of road-rail interfaces including level crossings (x)
Track design and components (x)
Culture (x)
Train design - Structure and crashworthiness (x)
Customer services for freight (x)
Data and communications systems (x)
Rolling stock maintenance (x)
Other - Control command and communication (x)
Adaptation to climate change (x)
Structures (x)
Job design (x)
Other - Energy and electrification (x)
Equipment workplace and environmental design (x)
Traffic supervision and management (x)
Human reliability (x)
Power supply (x)
Operational Safety (x)
Braking systems (x)
Security management (x)
Railways Interoperability (x)
Other - Rolling stock (x)
Value from data (x)
Stations management and passenger flow (x)
Other - Operations (x)
Rolling stock testing (x)
Social dynamics of transport (x)
Rolling stock passenger comfort (x)
Rolling stock asset management (x)
Rolling stock condition monitoring and inspection (x)
Other - Infrastructure (x)
Future technologies (x)
Movement authorities and signalling systems (x)
Control and display systems (x)
Other - People behaviour and health (x)
Overhead line equipment (x)
Aerodynamics (x)
Energy collection systems (x)
Safety data analysis (x)
Safety data collection (x)
Education and competence (x)
Other - Interfaces (x)
Safety decision support (x)
Accident investigation and learning (x)
Rail Standardisation (x)
Rolling stock fire performance (x)
Rolling stock interiors (x)
Signalling - Train detection systems (x)
CCC system integration and life cycle management (x)
Electrical safety (x)
CCC asset management (x)
Signalling - Train protection systems (x)
On board power supplies and monitoring (x)
Keeping on-track staff safe (x)
Smart grids and energy harvesting (x)
Derailment (x)
Revenue and ticketing (x)
Signalling - People protection and warning systems including level crossings (x)
Gauging (x)
Trespass (x)
Human Factors in event reporting (x)
Energy metering and billing (x)
ADHERE (x)
PERFORM (x)
FREIGHT (x)
DECARB (x)
CLEAR (x)
Enabling AI in Rail (x)
FUTURE RISK (x)
RESILIENT (x)
Clear date filter (x)
Status
Objectives
Topics
-
Control Command and Communication
- CCC asset management (4)
- CCC system integration and life cycle management (5)
- Control and display systems (16)
- Data and communications systems (41)
- Movement authorities and signalling systems (17)
- Other - Control command and communication (36)
- Signalling - People protection and warning systems including level crossings (2)
- Signalling - Train detection systems (5)
- Signalling - Train protection systems (4)
- Energy and Electrification
- Infrastructure
- Interfaces
-
Operations
- Customer services for freight (42)
- Customer services for passengers (76)
- Keeping on-track staff safe (3)
- Movement of trains (55)
- Operation of road-rail interfaces including level crossings (45)
- Operational Safety (30)
- Other - Operations (26)
- Revenue and ticketing (2)
- Security management (29)
- Stations management and passenger flow (27)
- Traffic supervision and management (32)
-
People Behaviour and Health
- Attitudes and behaviour (99)
- Culture (44)
- Education and competence (11)
- Equipment workplace and environmental design (33)
- Health and wellbeing (67)
- Human Factors in event reporting (1)
- Human performance (51)
- Human reliability (32)
- Job design (34)
- Selection and training (47)
- Trespass (1)
- Other - People behaviour and health (16)
- Policy and Decision Making
-
Rolling stock
- Braking systems (29)
- On board power supplies and monitoring (3)
- Rolling stock asset management (24)
- Rolling stock condition monitoring and inspection (23)
- Rolling stock fire performance (7)
- Rolling stock interiors (5)
- Rolling stock maintenance (36)
- Rolling stock passenger comfort (25)
- Rolling stock testing (26)
- Train design - Components (79)
- Train design - Structure and crashworthiness (43)
- Other - Rolling stock (28)
- Safety and Risk
Programme
Date
From: To:
Sort By:
Results per page:
Research Project
COF-UOS-07
End Date: 2030
Underway
Registered
Assessing Performance of Low Adhesion Mitigations and Defining Application Protocol (COF-UOS-07)
Research Project
T1385
End Date: 2028
Underway
Developing bespoke colour vision thresholds for safety critical staff on the mainline railway. Read More
Research Project
COF-RCF-01
End Date: 2028
Underway
A PhD project using modelling to establish the relationship between the microstructure or rail steel and crack initiation. Read More
Research Project
T1402
End Date: 2027
Underway
Assessing the regulatory impact on PFAS use in railway applications and indentifying potential alternatives. Read More
Research Project
T1432
End Date: 2027
Underway
Developing an evidence-based understanding of how children and young people perceive and respond to risk at
level crossings, and identifying how to… Read More
Research Project
T1417
End Date: 2027
Underway
Understanding current ramp arrangements, defining requirements, and identifying pathways for future innovation and testing. Read More
Research Project
T1379
End Date: 2027
Underway
Validating current standardised and non-standardised train driver selection assessments to improve fairness and reliability,
and align these to the… Read More
Research Project
COF-ECO-20
End Date: 2027
Underway
'Rules of thumb' for early appraisal, to determine whether to develop a full business case for a new station. Read More
Research Project
T1400
End Date: 2027
Underway
Making sure that external train lighting gives enough warning of an oncoming train; and the feasility of automated headlight technology on rail… Read More
Research Project
T1414
End Date: 2027
Underway
Registered
Testing the feasibility of the use of solar reflective solutions on rolling stock (T1414)
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Applied filters:
Complete (x)
Underway (x)
Safety (x)
Sustainability (x)
Customer (x)
Capacity (x)
Cost (x)
Health and wellbeing (x)
Attitudes and behaviour (x)
Other - Safety and risk (x)
Customer services for passengers (x)
Station design (x)
Other - Policy and decision making (x)
Sustainable development (x)
Other - Infrastructure (x)
Adaptation to climate change (x)
Future technologies (x)
Culture (x)
Train design - Components (x)
Infrastructure asset management (x)
Wheel-rail interface (x)
Commercial dynamics of transport (x)
Power supply (x)
Rolling stock maintenance (x)
Human reliability (x)
Social dynamics of transport (x)
Railways Interoperability (x)
Track design and components (x)
Security management (x)
Other - Rolling stock (x)
Other - Operations (x)
Rolling stock passenger comfort (x)
Accident investigation and learning (x)
Equipment workplace and environmental design (x)
Job design (x)
Traffic supervision and management (x)
Braking systems (x)
Rolling stock asset management (x)
Structures (x)
Operational Safety (x)
Rolling stock condition monitoring and inspection (x)
Train design - Structure and crashworthiness (x)
Value from data (x)
Vehicle track dynamics (x)
Risk models (x)
Adhesion (x)
Selection and training (x)
Rolling stock testing (x)
Energy collection systems (x)
Human performance (x)
Customer services for freight (x)
Other - People behaviour and health (x)
Smart grids and energy harvesting (x)
Other - Energy and electrification (x)
Stations management and passenger flow (x)
Overhead line equipment (x)
Whole system design and modelling (x)
Education and competence (x)
Operation of road-rail interfaces including level crossings (x)
Revenue and ticketing (x)
Data and communications systems (x)
Electrical safety (x)
Aerodynamics (x)
Rolling stock fire performance (x)
Rail Standardisation (x)
Other - Interfaces (x)
Safety data collection (x)
Movement authorities and signalling systems (x)
Keeping on-track staff safe (x)
Safety data analysis (x)
Movement of trains (x)
Rolling stock interiors (x)
Derailment (x)
Signalling - Train detection systems (x)
On board power supplies and monitoring (x)
Safety decision support (x)
CCC asset management (x)
Control and display systems (x)
Signalling - People protection and warning systems including level crossings (x)
CCC system integration and life cycle management (x)
Gauging (x)
Signalling - Train protection systems (x)
Trespass (x)
Human Factors in event reporting (x)
Other - Control command and communication (x)
Energy metering and billing (x)
ADHERE (x)
CLEAR (x)
FUTURE RISK (x)
DECARB (x)
PERFORM (x)
RESILIENT (x)
Enabling AI in Rail (x)
FREIGHT (x)
Clear date filter (x)
Status
Objectives
Topics
- Control Command and Communication
- Energy and Electrification
- Infrastructure
- Interfaces
-
Operations
- Customer services for freight (4)
- Customer services for passengers (18)
- Keeping on-track staff safe (1)
- Movement of trains (1)
- Operation of road-rail interfaces including level crossings (2)
- Operational Safety (6)
- Other - Operations (7)
- Revenue and ticketing (2)
- Security management (8)
- Stations management and passenger flow (3)
- Traffic supervision and management (6)
- People Behaviour and Health
- Policy and Decision Making
-
Rolling stock
- Braking systems (6)
- Rolling stock asset management (6)
- Rolling stock condition monitoring and inspection (6)
- Rolling stock fire performance (2)
- Rolling stock maintenance (9)
- Rolling stock passenger comfort (7)
- Rolling stock testing (4)
- Train design - Components (11)
- Train design - Structure and crashworthiness (6)
- Other - Rolling stock (8)
- Safety and Risk
Programme
Date
From: To:
Sort By:
Results per page:
Knowledge Search
S382
End Date: 2024
Complete
Registered
Lithium-ion battery safety (S382)
Knowledge Search
S366
End Date: 2023
Complete
Registered
Green infrastructure and the railways (S366)
Knowledge Search
S376
End Date: 2023
Complete
Registered
Remote and hybrid working (S376)
Knowledge Search
S370
End Date: 2023
Complete
Registered
Wayfinding tactiles (S370)
Knowledge Search
S363
End Date: 2023
Complete
Registered
AI in safety-critical communications (S363)
Knowledge Search
S373
End Date: 2023
Complete
Information on crushable desk and knee bolsters to protect drivers in accidents. Read More
Knowledge Search
S372
End Date: 2023
Complete
Reducing potential injuries from window breakages during accidents. Read More
Knowledge Search
S364
End Date: 2023
Complete
Quantifying the value of depots within the network, to improve investment decision-making. Read More
Knowledge Search
S371
End Date: 2022
Complete
Registered
Antimicrobial coatings (S371)
Knowledge Search
S361
End Date: 2022
Complete
Registered