I’m delighted to endorse this refresh of the Rail Technical Strategy (RTS). This practical yet ambitious strategy sets out a path to a sustainable, efficient, and even safer future. By gaining industry agreement on the technical opportunities to drive progress against these priorities, the RTS complements the Sustainable Rail Blueprint and the recently updated Rail Health and Safety Strategy.
Since its 2020 release, the RTS has been a living strategy that reflects the latest initiatives to help organisations coordinate their technical developments. This full refresh, including a greater focus on freight, was needed to keep it relevant and valuable. I’m proud of RSSB’s leading role in engaging right across the industry to make this happen.
RTS helps steer RSSB Research Programme towards agreed areas, confident that industry will see its value and take up the findings. It also fosters collaboration, providing a channel through which we can understand what technical developments other organisations are working on. This helps coordination and avoids duplication.
Standards – a major part of RSSB’s role – are essential to technical development. Innovations often need a framework for safe and efficient adoption, which good standards provide. RSSB will continue to work with industry to create the evidence-based standards required to achieve the RTS goals.
RSSB’s world-leading expertise in safety and risk is again essential in progressing towards the RTS vision. The introduction of new technical solutions needs to be underpinned by a sound understanding of how they affect overall risk. This is essential to successful innovation. And this is why we are working on further enhancing our risk modelling capabilities.
The RTS matters to everyone. Delivering against the technical challenges and opportunities it sets out will be good for passengers, freight customers, and the nation. I know that your energy and commitment will help to make it real.
May 2024
