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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:
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