Our aim is to protect the interests of road and rail users, and our business plan sets out how we intend to do so.
It summarises what we aim to achieve each year to meet our four strategic objectives:
- a healthier and safer railway
- better rail customer service
- value for money from the railway
- better highways
Read the ORR Business Plan for 2026 to 2027.
Delivery of service standards: 2025 to 2026
Much of our business-as-usual work involves providing services to those in the industry or others with an interest in our work.
As an organisation that is largely funded, directly or indirectly, by the public, it is essential that we publish service standards as part of our commitment to transparency.
The service standards below were published in our business plan for 2025 to 2026. The table shows how we performed against each of these.
| Provision | Service standard | Percentage achieved |
|---|---|---|
| Issue new or revised train driver licences | 100% of applications decided within one month of receipt of all necessary documentation | 85% |
| ROGS safety certificates and authorisations | 100% decided within four months of receiving completed application | 100% |
| ROGS safety certificates and authorisations/RSR exemptions | 100% of certificates & authorisations to be published (including RSR exemptions) within 5 working days | 100% |
| ROGS safety certificates and authorisations/RSR exemptions | 100% of expired certificates & authorisations (including RSR exemptions) to be removed from the website within 5 working days | 100% |
| Report to RAIB on the progress of its recommendations | 100% response to RAIB recommendations within 1 year of associated RAIB reported being published | 100% |
| Efficient processing of technical authorisations | 100% of responses within 28 days of receiving complete submission | 95% |
| Efficient processing of technical authorisations (replaces the one above) | 100% of responses within 21 days of receiving complete submission | 100% |
| Approve the Accessible Travel Policy of a new licence holder | 100% approved within 6 weeks of receipt of all relevant information | 100% |
| Approve the Accessible Travel Policy of a new licence holder (replaces the one above) | 100% approved within 4 weeks of receipt of all relevant information | 100% |
| Track, station and depot access applications | 100% decided within 6 weeks of receipt of all relevant information | 100% |
| Operator licence and licence exemption applications | 100% decided within 2 months of receipt of all relevant information | 100% |
| Freedom of Information requests | 100% of requests for information responded to within 20 working days of receipt | 100% |
| General enquiries and complaints | 95% of enquiries and complaints responded to within 20 working days of receipt | 96% |
| General enquiries and complaints. Adjustment to account for cases under investigation taking longer than 20 working days | 95% of enquiries and complaints responded to within 20 working days of receipt | 100% |
| Data access rights requests | 100% of all data access requests responded to within 1 month of receipt | 100% |
| Prompt payment of suppliers’ invoices to ORR | 90% paid within 5 days of valid invoice | 93% |
| Prompt payment of suppliers’ invoices to ORR | 100% paid within 30 days of valid invoice | 100% |
| Publication of 4 quarterly/biannual official statistical releases | 100% published within 4 months after quarter end | 100% |
| Competition complaints | 100% will receive an initial response within 10 days | 43% |
| Proactive, preventative regulatory interventions | 50% of ORR inspector time spent on proactive, preventative regulatory interventions | 52% |
Previous business plans
Previous business plans are listed below. For older plans visit the National Archives.