Standards groups and committees
01/01/2026
RSSB standards derive their authority from a transparent and open development process that allows anyone to participate. Groups and committees play a crucial role. By working together, they ensure that railway standards serve the best interests of all.
Industry Leadership Group
The Industry Leadership Group has been established in 2026. It’s composed of senior leaders from across the industry. It’s empowered to consider whole-system, whole-industry costs, as well as taxpayer and passenger impacts. This group has the authority, capability and accountability to lead industry decision-making on railway standards.The group plays a leading role in driving industry to take the best long-term decisions in a timely manner. It provides direction, advice, and guidance to standards committees and RSSB.
Note: This section will be updated in early 2026 with a list of the Industry Leadership Group members and their remits.
Cost Attribution Committee
The Cost Attribution Committee is the senior stakeholder group that settles costs between affected industry parties when the Industry Leadership Group makes decisions that may have costs or commercial consequences.This committee is a subgroup of the Industry Leadership Group. It meets independently and is convened only when there are costs or commercial consequences to be settled between industry parties.
Note: This section will be updated in early 2026 with a list of the Cost Attribution Committee members and their remits.
RSSB
RSSB oversees the operations of standards committees. It liaises with the Industry Leadership Group, informing them of issues with significant implications for the mainline railway. It monitors the effectiveness of RSSB-developed standards and supports the prioritisation and resource allocation for their development.Standards committees
Standards committees are expert cross-industry groups overseen by RSSB. They are composed of experts representing different industry categories.
Each committee oversees a railway subsystem and its interface with other subsystems. Their primary purpose is to advise, prioritise and approve decisions related to railway standards.
Standards committees take decisions by consensus. This involves all members participating in discussions, providing their views and reconciling conflicting arguments. They do this considering the long-term interest of the railway system as a whole.
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Control Command and Signalling Standards CommitteeThe Control Command and Signalling Standards Committee deals with engineering interface issues between trackside and train-borne sub-systems and between trackside equipment and railway undertaking operators. It excludes rules for operating equipment.
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Data, Systems and Telematics Standards CommitteeThe Data, Systems and Telematics Standards Committee manages the change control process for the Telematic Applications for Freight and Passenger Services (TAF & TAP) National Technical Specification Notices (NTSNs). In addition, it oversees the development of standards that enable effective data sharing.
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Energy Standards CommitteeThe Energy Standards Committee enables industry to develop standards for the electrified railway. Their focus is on developing standards for interfaces with electric trains, and guidance for the safe operation of the electrified railway.
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Infrastructure Standards CommitteeThe Infrastructure Standards Committee deals with standards on track, gauges, stations and structures.
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Plant Standards CommitteeThe Plant Standards Committee oversees the development of standards for mobile plant. Mobile plat is used for the maintenance and construction of railway infrastructure.
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Rolling Stock Standards CommitteeThe Rolling Stock Standards Committee considers the interfaces between rolling stock and the structural systems of the railway (signalling, infrastructure, operations and users).
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Traffic Operation and Management Standards CommitteeThe Traffic Operation and Management Standards Committee considers the interfaces between the structural subsystems (signalling, rolling stock, track, structures and electrification) and the people who interact with them (signallers, drivers, guards, trackworkers).
