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Office of the Rail Regulation

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) was established on 5 July 2004 under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003. It replaced the Office of the Rail Regulator. On 1 April 2006, ORR assumed new responsibilities as a combined safety and economic regulator under The Railways Act 2005. It also has concurrent jurisdiction with the Office of Fair Trading under the Competition Act 1998 as the competition authority for the Railways.

As the railway industry's independent health and safety and economic regulator, the Office's principal functions are to:

• ensure that Network Rail manages the national network efficiently and in a way that meets the needs of its users;
• encourages continuous health and safety performance; secures compliance with relevant health and safety law, including taking enforcement action as necessary;
• develops policy and enhances relevant railway health and safety legislation; and
• licences operators of railway assets, setting the terms for access by operators to the network and other railway facilities, and enforces competition law in the rail sector.

ORR is led by a Board appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport, under the chairmanship of Chris Bolt.

• Chairman of the Board: Chris Bolt
• Chief Executive: Bill Emery
  
• Address: One Kemble Street, London WC2B 4AN
• Website: www.rail-reg.gov.uk
  
• Telephone: 020 7282 2000
• Fax: 020 7282 2045
• Email: rail.library@orr.gsi.gov.uk