Rail Safety and Standards Board
Remit for Traffic Operation and Management Standards Committee
REMIT FOR TRAFFIC OPERATION AND MANAGEMENT STANDARDS
COMMITTEE
Approved by the Industry Standards Co-ordination Committee – 19 September
2014
1
Introduction
This document defines the working arrangements for the Traffic
Operation and Management Standards Committee (the Committee). It
accords with the requirements of:

The Railway Group Standards Code issue four (the Code).

The Standards Manual issue three (the Manual).

The Industry Standards Co-ordination Committee approved
statement for Standards Committees (see the Manual
section10.4).
This document fulfils the requirements of section 6.2.2 of the Manual.
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The Committee's coverage
Within the scope defined in the remit, the Committee’s coverage
includes train operation, signalling and infrastructure operation,
workforce safety and safety management systems. It includes working
instructions for people employed in a range of activities on the main line
railway network (the Rule Book and other National Operations
Publications).
The coverage therefore includes:

European and GB standards and working instructions for
passenger and freight train operations (including train dispatch).

GB train signalling regulations.

GB standards for planning, managing and investigating
accidents, incidents and emergencies.

GB standards and working instructions for safe systems of work
on infrastructure.

European and GB standards for safety management systems,
including safety information and communications.

Operations technical content of GB National Occupational
Standards for competence.
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The coverage excludes engineering requirements for rail vehicles,
track, signalling and communications systems and the maintenance and
renewal of these systems.
The Committee’s coverage includes consideration of requirements
relating to activities dealt with in general, multifunctional documents in
so far as they affect items within the Committee’s coverage. Such
activities include drugs and alcohol policies and working hours.
The technical scope of the Committee is co-terminus with the scope of
the Traffic Operation and Management sub-system, as defined in the
Interoperability Directive 2008/57/EC.
3
Membership
The Committee has 14 elected members representing the following
Industry Categories:
3 x Passenger train operators
3 x Non-passenger train operators
3 x Network Rail and other infrastructure managers
1 x Rolling stock owners (including rolling stock leasing
companies)
2 x Infrastructure contractors
1 x Supplier
1 x Member of RSSB personnel
A list of current members is published and maintained on the RSSB’s
website (http://www.rssb.co.uk/) and can be viewed by using the
following link: TOM SC. Changes to membership arrangements will be
subject to the relevant change process.
4
Alternate members
The arrangements for alternate members are as set out in section A4 of
Appendix A of the Manual.
5
Co-opted members
If the members of the Committee consider it necessary to ensure an
adequate spread of expertise on subjects within the Committee’s
coverage the arrangements for co-opted members, as set out in section
A5 of Appendix A of the Manual, will be applied.
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Observers
Observers are not co-opted members of the Committee, but are
permitted to speak at meetings. RSSB Technical Specialists
responsible for the technical content of standards and working
instructions within the scope of the committee, attend as observers. A
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representative of RSSB Standards Policy Department also attends as
an observer.
Representatives of the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), the Department
for Transport (DfT), the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers
and Firemen (ASLEF) and the Rail Maritime and Transport Union
(RMT) attend as observers.
Organisations responsible for representation of the UK rail industry at
European level, other persons who are materially interested in the
relevant standards, and members of the Committee may nominate
persons as observers. Acceptance of nominations as an observer is for
the Committee as a whole to decide.
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Chairman and deputy chairman
The chairman is elected in accordance with section A3 of Appendix A of
the Manual.
The name of the current Chairman is published on RSSB’s website
(http://www.rssb.co.uk/) and can be viewed by using the following link:
TOM SC.
It is a condition of membership that each member is willing to act as
deputy chairman of the Committee, if so requested by the Committee.
8
Secretary
The RSSB has appointed a person as secretary (section 10.1.1 of the
Manual). The secretary is responsible for the circulation of papers
before meetings, and production and circulation of minutes. Minutes of
the previous meeting and other papers for a meeting are to be available
not less than five clear business days before the meeting.
9
Decision taking on Railway Group Standards
The Committee’s decisions relating to the approval of new or changed
Railway Group Standards (RGSs) are to be made only in accordance
with section 5 of the Code and section 11 of the Manual.
10
Decision taking on deviations from Railway Group Standards
The Committee’s decisions relating to the approval of deviations from
RGSs are to be made only in accordance with section 7 of the Code
and section 16.3 of the Manual.
Section 7.4.2 of the Code permits deviations to be approved by a
Standards Committee Chairman outside of a committee meeting. The
circumstances where the Chairman of TOM SC may approve a
deviation outside of a committee meeting are:
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(1)
Where there is insufficient time for the application to be
considered at the next meeting given the safety or economic
implications of a delay.
(2)
The scope, impacts and proposed alternative actions are similar
to deviations previously approved by the committee.
(3)
The proposed deviation is unlikely to increase risk.
The Chairman may decline to make the decision if he:
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(1)
Lacks the necessary technical expertise.
(2)
Believes it should be made by the whole of the committee.
Frequency of meetings
The Committee has agreed to meet approximately every four weeks,
unless the Chairman, after consulting the secretary, considers there is
insufficient business to justify a meeting. There will not normally be
meetings in January or August. However, in exceptional
circumstances, the Chairman, in consultation with the Secretary, can
decide to make the necessary arrangements for the Committee to be
convened, particularly if there are matters of an urgent nature to be
discussed.
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Quorum
The Committee has agreed that a meeting is quorate if it is deemed by
those present at the beginning of the meeting that there is sufficient
competence and representation to deal with the agenda presented.
This will normally require the presence of the Chairman or Deputy
Chairman), at least one member representing Network Rail, one railway
undertaking (passenger) representative and one railway undertaking
(non-passenger) representative.
13
Establishing consensus
The Committee is to work by consensus. Section 4.5.1 of the Code
sets out the rules for establishing consensus on matters within scope of
the Code, and defines it as:
Consensus: General agreement, characterised by:
(a)
the absence of sustained opposition to substantive issues by
any member of the Committee concerned; and
(b)
a process that involves seeking to take into account the views
of all those members of the Committee concerned and to
reconcile conflicting arguments.
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14
Conflicts of interest
The arrangements for dealing with potential conflicts of interest are set
out in section 8.2 of the Manual and for disclosures of interest in section
8.3 of the Manual.
15
Sub-committees
The arrangements for sub-committees are set out in section 7 of the
Manual.
16
Other rules of procedure
Subject to the provisions of section 6.2 of the Manual, the Committee
may regulate its proceedings as it sees fit. The Committee’s decisions
about its regulation are to be recorded in amendments to this remit.
17
Liability and insurance
RSSB has arranged insurance cover for members of the Committee in
respect of claims arising out of duties performed in their capacity as
members and/or Chairman of the Committee. RSSB will supply details
of the insurance to members on request.
Gary Portsmouth
Principal Operations Specialist RSSB
Chairman, Traffic Operation and Management Standards Committee
19 September 2014
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