About The Freight Safe Programme

The Freight Safe Programme (FSP) was launched in early 2024. It brings together key stakeholders to build on the strong safety performance of rail freight. It leads on priority safety projects so that the whole industry can access expertise to help with potential challenges and risks.

FSP is led by a steering group of senior and experienced professionals from across rail freight and is governed by the Growing Railfreight Executive Group (GREG). Funding comes partly from Network Rail’s Freight Safety Improvement Portfolio as well as from freight operating companies and other stakeholders.

Over the last six years, the Freight Integrated Plan for Safety (FIPS) has served the freight sector well by supporting greater collaboration in risk mitigation through better understanding of safety issues, particularly about the condition of freight vehicles on the network, greater sharing of safety information, and the collection of safety data. However, the sector:

• Is still unable to describe its risk profile through empirical data and quantified success metrics, which is hindering its ability to properly target its collaborative attention
• Is unable to demonstrate all activity to date has made improvements in mitigating safety risk or has protected and enhanced reputation, and therefore supported safe freight growth
• Is not structuring its collaborative approach to effectively prioritise and target efforts to make the best use of resources and enjoy the highest possible return on its collaborative investments

Despite the highly competitive market in which the freight companies and Network Rail operate, safety leadership in the freight sector supports a collaborative approach to the mitigation of safety risks, which means the sector:

• Fully understands and can quantify its existing and emerging risk profile and, through proven success metrics, can demonstrate that its collaborative, continuous improvement approach is reducing safety risk
• Is, in terms of safety and risk mitigation, insight driven, which is enabling it to target joint resources and investment to maximise risk reduction
• Structures and delivers its collaborative and continuous improvement approach to maximise its return on investment, protect and enhance the Sector’s reputation, and support safe freight growth

The industry has signed up to ‘Rail Health and Safety Strategy’ (RHSS), the health and safety strategy developed by the industry for the industry.

Each freight company is a Duty Holder with its own safety responsibilities, safety performance data, and safety improvement plans. The freight sector has recognised that the successful delivery of this strategy requires close collaboration.

In an extremely competitive market and rapidly changing sector, this collaborative approach is a step change from the legal requirement of Duty of Cooperation and presents significant challenges for FOCs and Network Rail in balancing cooperation and maintaining a competitive advantage.

Despite these challenges, the freight sector is committed to reducing risk by improving safety, health, and wellbeing, and will do so by committing funds and resources to the delivery of the Freight Safe Programme. This is a collaborative safety improvement programme that will enable the freight sector to deliver its obligations within RHSS and achieve the target condition described in this Charter.

The Freight Safe Programme (FSP) supersedes the FIPS following a detailed and thorough review. It comprises:

Structured governance

• Funding arrangements that support autonomy and effective communication
• Industry steering and delivery groups with clear, tiered accountability
• A Programme Management Office creating a ‘single source of truth’
• Sector-sponsored projects with funded, dedicated, project managers

Safety leadership

• Continued delivery of safety leadership within each individual FOC and Network Rail
• Continued delivery of safety leadership within the collaborative groups established as part of RHSS and the new Freight Safe Programme
• Commitment to resources and funds to deliver and communicate the FSP

Prioritised projects, which over the next 18/24 months will be:

• Condition of Freight Vehicles on the Network
• Horizon Scanning
• Freight PIM
• The impact of climate change

The success of the FSP will be measured by:

• Reduction in risk of all freight activities (measure to be defined)
• External perception of rail freight safety risk (measure to be defined)