There is a broad consensus about key elements of reform needed for the railway including the need for a new guiding mind to establish an overarching strategy which enables consistent and joined-up plans for the whole railway. The Rail Technical Strategy will help to underpin that overarching strategy by aligning with desired outcomes and providing a clear steer to all those involved about the key areas where collaboration and innovation are most needed.

The RTS has evolved over nearly two decades. We’ve seen it become increasingly “owned” by industry as an enabler for change. The broad approach has been consistent and each evolution has built on strengths while also making improvements or adapting to the changing environment. Covid has accelerated changes in travel patterns and changed our perspective on safety. The importance of freight was always implicit but being more explicit about this will help enable a customer-focused and freight-friendly railway. The need for improved efficiency has also been ever-present but giving this more direct emphasis will also be helpful. The urgent need for climate action and growing inequality makes it ever more critical for rail to play its part in enabling as well as adapting to environmental and social change.

I’ve been pleased to be able to support the evolution of the RTS from my previous positions in industry and now from academia. The UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN) was designed to create powerful collaboration between academia and industry to provide a step change in innovation and accelerate new technologies to market. As such it illustrates the sort of collaboration that will be needed to respond to challenges and opportunities set out in the RTS.

May 2024