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Wednesday 18 Jul 2012

ORR BEGINS CONSULTATION ON PROPOSALS TO FORMALISE THE RAIL DELIVERY GROUP

Region & Route:
National

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) brings industry leaders together on a voluntary basis to provide leadership to the rail industry. The RDG is focusing its efforts on identifying and delivering cross-industry efficiency opportunities through:

  • Collaboration in asset, programme and supply chain management;
  • Reform of contractual and regulatory arrangements;
  • Co-ordinated Industry planning
  • Production of a rail technical strategy;
  • Updating working practices by embracing advances in technology and innovation; and
  • Improvements in train procurement and utilisation

RDG believes that its voluntary basis may not be sustainable and the group has decided that it should be formalised by creating a company limited by guarantee. An obligation will be placed on key industry players to participate in the RDG by the introduction of a licence condition requiring participation in the group.

Tim O’Toole, chairman of the Rail Delivery Group said ”Placing RDG on a more structured footing will enable it to take on a leadership role in which it will formulate strategies and policies for the whole industry”.

Tim O’Toole continued “The government’s command paper expects the Rail Delivery Group to take a leadership role within the rail industry in order to drive efficiency and improve value for money for the passenger, freight customer and taxpayer. Formalising the group will reinforce RDG’s ability to fulfil this role”

The ORR has issued a consultation document today inviting views on the formalisation of the RDG and the licence condition to enable this change. The consultation can be found at

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.10968

Notes to editors

  1. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) brings together the owners of Britain's train operating companies, freight operating companies and Network Rail to provide leadership to Britain's rail industry.

  1. The group was set up in May 2011 in response to the call by the Rail Value for Money Study, chaired by Sir Roy McNulty, for the rail industry to demonstrate leadership

.

  1. The priorities being pursued by the Rail Delivery Group are

· Providing leadership to Britain’s rail industry;

· Improving the asset, programme and supply-chain management of the rail industry through closer co-operation between Network Rail, operators and suppliers;

· Introducing flexible commercial and contractual agreements within the industry, between industry and Government and between the industry and its suppliers;

· Embracing technology and innovation in the working environment to enhance the contribution made by one of the industry’s key assets, its workforce;

· Identifying ways to improve the utilisation of the train fleet by reviewing demand management, service specification and operating practices;

· Finding ways to improve value for money in rolling stock procurement;

· Working with the Technical Strategy Leadership Group to produce a long-term technical strategy for the rail industry; and

· Improving the industry’s planning by guiding the production of the Initial Industry Plan and the Strategic Business Plan.

  1. The Rail Delivery Group will focus on industry-wide issues in the context of the need for improved service to rail users and value for money to the taxpayer. The RDG will not duplicate or over-ride the primary accountability for delivery in the UK rail industry (which remains with the passenger and freight train operators and Network Rail) or the need for much stronger collaboration between these companies at a local level.

  1. RDG will co-ordinate the objectives for key cross-industry groups including National Task Force (NTF), Planning Oversight Group (POG) and Technical Strategy Leadership Group (TSLG).

  1. RDG members are the representatives from the owning groups of the passenger and freight train operators and Network Rail.

· The Chairman is Tim O’Toole, Chief Executive of First Group

· The vice Chairman is Sir David Higgins, Chief Executive of Network Rail

· The Secretary is Graham Smith


Membership of the Rail Delivery Group is

Abellio

Dominic Booth

Arriva

David Martin

Bob Holland (alternate)

DB Schenker Rail

Alain Thauvette

Nigel Jones (alternate)

Directly Operated Railways

Doug Sutherland

Michael Holden (alternate)

First Group

Tim O’Toole

Vernon Barker (alternate)

Freightliner

Peter Maybury

Lindsay Durham (alternate)

Go-Ahead

David Brown

Charles Horton (alternate)

National Express

Dean Finch

Andrew Chivers (alternate)

Network Rail

Sir David Higgins

Paul Plummer

Stagecoach

Martin Griffiths

Sir Brian Souter (alternate)

Virgin

Tony Collins

Patrick McCall (alternate)

Secretary

Graham Smith

Attending meetings of the Rail Delivery Group

ATOC

Michael Roberts

The website of the Rail Delivery Group is www.raildeliverygroup.org

Postings to the website will be announced on Twitter @raildeliverygrp

The Rail Delivery Group can be contacted at info@raildeliverygroup.org and on 07515 627082.

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