Community directory

Office of Rail Regulation (ORR)

The Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) was established on 5 July 2004 under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003. The ORR is the combined safety and economic regulator for the railway industry.

As the economic regulator of the railway industry, ORR's principal function is to regulate Network Rail's stewardship of the national rail network. ORR also licenses the operators of railway assets, approves agreements for access by operators to track, stations and light maintenance depots and enforces domestic competition law.

On April 1st 2006, in addition to the role of economic regulator, ORR became the health and safety regulator for the rail industry when responsibility was transferred from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This transfer of responsibility was given in the Railways Act 2005. As the health and safety regulator of the railway industry, ORR's principal function is to secure the safe operation of the railway system and to protect both those working on the system and members of the public, from health and safety risks arising from the railways.