The Rail Technical Strategy and TSLG

The Rail Technical Strategy

The RTS supports national policy for the development of the railway over a 30-year planning horizon. The 2007 document, published alongside the Department for Transport White Paper ‘Delivering a Sustainable Railway’,
gave as its stated purposes:

  • To establish and document an industry view of the technical changes that need to be made to the railway.To create a ‘road map’ showing how change can be achieved (and the RTS listed the six principal delivery mechanisms:
  • Creation of appropriate incentives
    • Appropriate standards and guidance for the specification of asset renewal
    • Harmonisation of objectives for major projects
    • Definition of key priorities for long-term research
    • Helping to shape Britain’s response to European initiatives
    • Application overall of a whole life, whole system cost approach

TSLG

Ownership of development and delivery of the RTS sits with the owners and operators of the railway. To assist them, the Technical Strategy Leadership Group (TSLG), a cross-industry expert body made up of senior executive staff, is charged with developing and championing implementation of the strategy, supporting communication, managing strategic research, identifying opportunities, barriers and actions. TSLG oversees the work of the industry’s Systems Interface Committees (SIC) and other groups with pan-industry technical development roles. Given the whole system, whole life perspective of TSLG, it is important that all sectors of the railway are represented. Since the RTS was published, TSLG has led the industry activity programme to take forward the strategy, by developing vision in each key technology area, commissioning research and technology watches and building understanding around implementation issues and their solutions. Critically, TSLG is investing energy in creating an environment within the rail industry in which technical innovation is embraced and building supplier confidence in the business case for innovation.

TSLG's work to date can be summarised as:

 








What makes TSLG distinct is that it is not responsible for implementing or planning rail technology over the short or mid term, but has a remit to address future opportunities over a 30-year horizon.