This September the UK Government posted its Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Strategy (RSI). Part of its rail reform that aims to nationalising the rail service through Great British Rail (GBR), this document showcases how GBR will respond to that direction through better long-term decisions about trains, track, traction power, signalling, depots and maintenance.
What the Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Strategy (RSI) aims to tackle
With the current rail system, decisions regarding fleet procurement and track maintenance are made by different organisations. This results in fragmented train fleet procurement decisions often misaligned with required infrastructure, constrained maintenance and depot arrangements and a stop-start work pipeline for suppliers, leading to reduced flexibility and higher costs. For passengers, getting these decisions right means trains that are comfortable and accessible, services that are more reliable, and a railway that provides better value. The Rolling Stock and Infrastructure Strategy will work to centralise this process, insuring a better experience for rail services and passengers.
The direction set out in the RSI Strategy does not remove the need for individual business cases, funding decisions or engagement with the relevant partners and stakeholders, including passengers, workforce representatives, recognised trade unions, devolved and local government, funders, freight and risk, and accelerate benefits for passengers, while making greater use of passenger trains to support infrastructure monitoring and asset management more consistently.
Key challenges the RSI responds to
The RSI strategy is responding to 8 key challenges of the current railway system. By unifying train and track to replace fragmented asset decisions with a coherent national approach, GBR hopes to provide a better service for passengers and rail operators alike.
Trains and infrastructure system integration
A core aim of the RSI strategy is to align all decisions on rolling stock, electrification, traction power, digital signalling, depots and maintenance to improve value, reduce delivery. The RSI strategy recognises the need for case-by-case decisions but aims to make a more uniform and simplified process that benefits passengers and the railway sector alike.
Put passengers at the centre of train design
Listening to passenger needs, the RSI strategy outlines plans to make the rail services more accessible for all. This includes making level boarding a baseline expectation for new fleets, using engagement with passengers and their representatives to shape more accessible, consistent and attractive trains that better meet the needs of passengers, families and communities, encourage greater use of rail and support revenue growth. All decisions will continue to need to be assessed for affordability and value for money
Manage train fleets as a national portfolio
Moving away from the current disjointed system, the RSI strategy will be structured around a smaller number of fleet families, aligning procurement, refurbishment, life extension, replacement and redeployment with infrastructure and operational needs, while retaining flexibility to reflect different markets and communities.
Environmentally conscious travel
The RSI strategy sets out plans to move progressively from diesel trains towards electric traction, through battery-electric trains with targeted electrification. This will lead to a more reliable, sustainable and lower carbon railway while considering affordability and value for money and recognising that diesel fleets will remain necessary during the transition.
Enhancing core parts of the system’s design
The RSI strategy highlights the need to treat depots, maintenance, materials and logistics as core parts of the system’s design. The strategy will be moving towards more condition-based and predictive maintenance to identify issues earlier, helping to improve reliability, reduce disruption, make better use of assets over their full lives and support a safer, more productive railway.
Act as a stronger and more coordinated national customer
Through greater consistency to train procurement the RSI strategy aims to secure better whole-life and whole system value for passengers and taxpayers.
Strategic approach to train ownership and financing
The RSI strategy assesses direct ownership, leasing and other financing arrangements on a case-by-case basis rather than relying on a single financing model, to secure the strongest overall outcomes for passengers and taxpayers.
Establish a Fleet & Infrastructure Plan (FIP)
The RSI strategy will create a more credible, coordinated and deliverable long-term pipeline of rolling stock and enabling infrastructure activity to support planning for funders and delivery partners and provide confidence for suppliers.
As the plans for GBR unfold, more plans to how this transition will be managed will become clear as rail providers and passengers await to find out more about the fate of the British railway. The RSI strategy aims to alleviate some concerns while providing a clear direction for the future.
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