Making sure signals and lineside signs are clear and visible
Lineside signalling assets give information to railway operators. However, signals and operational signs can become hard to see due to many factors.
Sometimes, addressing these visibility problems needs cooperation between infrastructure managers.
A 5-year review of RIS-8034-CCS found several areas for improvement. These included renaming it to highlight its purpose and updating the rationale and guidance as needed.
The Infrastructure Standards Committee also saw the need to include risks to the visibility of signals and signs. That includes those caused by foliage and vandalism.
RIS-8034-CCS issue one has been withdrawn and the content moved to RIS-7708-INS issue one.
This move to an infrastructure standard highlights the importance of maintaining the visibility of signals and operational signs through infrastructure change.
The content has also been updated to match the current writing style. In addition, the terminology is now consistent with the signal-sighting assessment process.
New requirements and guidance for reporting risks caused by lineside vegetation and vandalism have also been added.
The document also has new guidance to help with operational decisions when corrective actions are needed.
This update provides extra guidance and a revised rationale for maintaining the visibility of signals and operational signs.
The format changes will make the document easier to use. Also, the title change and move to the infrastructure standards catalogue will help show the relevance of the standard to its intended users.
This update could help save the industry £258,240 over 5 years.