While 2020 was hard to predict, 2021 has been similarly hard! Contribution to standardisation has continued to be excellent with fantastic teamwork across various organisations, within RSSB and the standards committees. The standards catalogue has developed, including an important new standard to support operation of multi-mode trains, and the first major revision for many years to the operational rules and company arrangements for the management of dangerous goods.

This report summarises the key activities in 2021 which include:

  • a showcase of five representative new and revised standards published in 2021, covering CCS system transitions, platform tactile surfaces, the management of electrical risk, system requirements for the introduction and operation of multi-mode rolling stock and freight train operation and the handling / carriage of dangerous goods
  • summaries from the heads of six standards committees (Plant, Rolling Stock, Infrastructure, Control Command and Signalling, Energy, Traffic and Operation Management)
  • a review of the first year of implementing the five-year Rail Standards Strategy and its key areas of focus, including ‘enabling digitalisation’ and ‘adapting to the new regulatory landscape’
  • detailed figures and analysis demonstrating the effective stewardship of the standards catalogue
  • a useful summary of multiple methods for keeping yourself up-to-date about standards
  • a diagram showing the relationship of the ISCC to different areas of industry standards work.

Watch our webinar on the March 2022 changes to standards