Safety improvements and new tools aim to reduce railway accidents and protect passengers and staff

Credit: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has praised safety progress made by the industry through joint work with the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and Network Rail.

Data from ORR found 29 high-potential train accident incidents between 2024 and 2025, while track workers experience 16 near-miss incidents annually. In response, ORR introduced a series of regulations in March 2025 to take a more evidence-based approach to weighing the costs and benefits of safety decisions.

Since these recommendations, Network Rail has launched a new Cost Benefit Analysis tool alongside internal guidance, inspector training on risk assessment, and training materials on Taking Safe Decisions. ORR has also collaborated with funders to support health and safety priorities and operator business planning, while holding regular senior-level forums with Network Rail on investment planning, emerging safety concerns and future planning cycles.

Blake Richmond, COO of Resonate Group, said: “Safety remains the foundation of an efficient and reliable railway, and every decision taken by the industry, from investment to infrastructure, must prioritise the safety of passengers and operators.”

“We’re proud to be contributing to the improvement of safety management within the industry. Our Initiate product, launched this year, brings tools to replace traditional practices, reducing the number of people working trackside and reducing the risk of people being placed in danger.”

“By providing better visibility across the network, technology helps operators better address safety concerns and helps ensure resources are deployed in the areas of greatest impact. This will not only reduce risk, but also deliver the reliable railways that passengers and operators expect.”

ORR will continue to monitor the new training, tools and guidance ahead of a final review by March 2026. The regulator will also assess how the approach can add value beyond the mainline railway, extending to heritage and metro operations.

Richard Hines, HM chief inspector of railways and ORR’s director of railway safety, said: “We welcome the significant work that RSSB, Network Rail and others have undertaken so far in responding to our recommendations. The test for industry now moves towards how these actions are implemented and we will be monitoring progress in this area before a final review in the spring.”

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail‘s safety and engineering director, said: “This important piece of work will help us to deliver affordable safety improvements to the railway. We have made good progress on these sensible recommendations and are already seeing positive results.”