Infrastructure

Explore how industry standards and best practices play a critical role in the design, maintenance and operation of the rail industry.

In the rail industry, ‘infrastructure’ refers to all physical aspects of the track, bridges, structures, stations, depots and yards. There are 20,000 miles of track, 2,500 stations, and 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts on Britain’s national rail network.

This area of discipline can be further categorised into:
locations, layout and design – of stations, depots and yards

larger structures at stations, depots and yards – such as track, drainage, earthworks and structures supporting or protecting the track, road bridges, footbridges, rail bridges, tunnels and viaducts

adjacent structures and buildings that could affect the safety of the railway – such as tunnels, station infrastructure, infrastructure for access to or along the railway, level crossing surfaces, lineside security, and environmental conditions

smaller structures at stations, depots and yards – for example, rails, sleepers supporting the rails, ballasts, and other associated components such as points and crossings, immovable structures and fixings

structures used to support signalling, telecommunications, electrification – including lighting and other equipment such as gantries.
How our experts work with industry

We have a team of experts with considerable experience in all aspects of infrastructure, and who have worked first-hand on the challenges that industry faces. This includes substantial knowhow in understanding the engineering interfaces between the track and train, the wheel-rail interface. Our people lend their expertise to the creation and review of relevant standards.

RSSB provides cross-industry governance for industry decisions and activities in many areas of rail improvement. Rail industry standards relating to infrastructure are managed by the Infrastructure Standards Committee. Specifically, the committee in conjunction with RSSB, oversees the development and maintenance of standards, guidance notes and other documents for use by train operators, infrastructure managers, and train manufacturers in developing infrastructure designs, operating and maintaining infrastructure, and developing safety management systems for infrastructure. It also oversees standards, guidance notes and other documents about the interfaces between infrastructure and other railway systems, such as energy, rolling stock, signalling, plant, operations.