The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations

Consultation status
Conclusions published
Date of publication
Closing date
Body

The European Commission adopted Regulation 445/2011 on a system of certification of ECMs for freight wagons (the ECM Regulation) on 10 May 2011. 

We have consulted on the draft regulations to give effect to the ECM Regulation in Great Britain and bring the enforcement of it in line with our existing enforcement remit.

In the light of lessons learned from operating under the current regime and other changes in European provisions, we took this opportunity to propose some further minor amendments to the safety regime.

For example, to:

  • remove the need for mainline operators to carry out safety verification following the introduction of the European common safety method on risk evaluation and assessment;
  • amend the definition of "mainline railway" so that the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) can maintain a list of railways exempt from the mainline rules (e.g. metros, light rail, some suburban lines and heritage railways)
  • remove the requirement for non-mainline operators to send annual safety reports to ORR; and 
  • clarify that controllers of safety-critical work must have suitable and sufficient monitoring arrangements in place.

Summary of key outcomes

The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/950) came into force on 21 May 2013.