In cases where those with a duty to cooperate fail to reach an agreement it is expected that they will explore all avenues to resolve the dispute.
No single organisation is responsible for the safety of the whole railway system. The many companies operating on the railway are each individually responsible for ensuring that their activities are safe and it is the combined actions of all those involved in running the railway that ensures the system as a whole is safe. Therefore, cooperation and information sharing between all parties is essential for ensuring the safety of the railway system.
The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 place a specific duty on transport undertakings, infrastructure managers and anyone who is required to have a Safety Management System to cooperate with each other and to be equally responsible for keeping the railway system safe. More information about the duty can be found in our document ‘A Guide to ROGS’. The Rail Industry Standard ‘RIS-8270-RST Route Level Assessment of Technical Compatibility between Vehicles and Infrastructure’ also provides guidance to transport undertakings and infrastructure managers on meeting their duty when introducing new or changed assets.
In cases where those with a duty to cooperate fail to reach an agreement it is expected that they will explore all avenues to resolve the dispute. We will only become involved as a last resort when all efforts to resolve the dispute have been exhausted. For more information about dispute resolution and how to escalate a dispute to us please view our guidance document ‘Escalating serious disputes to ORR under ROGS duty of cooperation’.