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Office of Rail and Road September 2026 newsletter

Network Rail has today been fined £1.2 million after pleading guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, following an investigation and prosecution by industry regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Welcome to the August edition of ORR’s stakeholder newsletter.

In this blog, I set out National Highways’ final position against its safety key performance indicator target for the second road period (RP2) and look ahead to our next annual safety report in January 2027.

• ORR sets out plans on licences needed for the transition to rail reform. Proposed changes maintain accountability and consumer protections. Views invited ahead of formal consultation later this year.

Violence and harassment against rail workers remains a significant and growing concern across Great Britain’s railway. It is a challenge that we must work effectively together as an industry to tackle.

The Office of Rail and Road has today published guidance designed to help heritage railway and tramway operators give young volunteers, aged from 14 to minimum school leaving age, the chance to learn new skills while making sure the right safeguards are in place.

National Highways delivered most of its targets and capital commitments for the ‘interim period’ between April 2025 and March 2026, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) said today in its annual assessment of National Highways. However, the company did not progress some of its programmes intended to prepare it for the third Road Period (RP3) and ORR is calling for improved planning and controls to aid

In our latest annual assessment, we find that Network Rail has continued to deliver efficiencies in how it operates, maintains and renews the national rail infrastructure. However, we also report that the company will deliver fewer renewals than originally planned.