The Chartered Institution of Railway Operators (founded in 1999 and registered in 2000 as the Institution of Railway Operators (IRO)) is the

professional body A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and the ...

for all those engaged or interested in

railway operations Rail transport operations are the day-to-day operations of a railway. A railway has two major components: the infrastructure (the permanent way, tracks, stations, freight facilities, viaducts, tunnels, etc.) and the rolling stock (the locomotive ...

and its allied disciplines. It exists for its members and the rail industry as a whole. It was awarded Chartered status on 1 October 2021.

Corporate member companies

Most of the current

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

and freight operating companies (TOCs & FOCs) in the UK fall into this category. Also included is the

Heritage Railway Association Heritage Railway Association (HRA) is an umbrella organisation representing the majority of the heritage and tourist railways, railway museums, steam centres and railway preservation groups in the UK and Ireland. Groups and individuals involved ...

(HRA).

Local sections

The CIRO has a number of local sections in a number of countries. Internationally, there are sections in: * Australia * Middle East * South Africa * United Kingdom * Ireland In the

U.K. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

: * Midlands * North East * North West & Wales * Scotland * South East * South West There is also a Young Operators section specialised for young people working on the national network and the Railway Engineers Forum (REF) which is a multi-disciplinary body drawn from Professional Institutions with strong railway interests.

Membership grades

Membership grade is dependent on the individual member's experience and / or formal qualification. * Affiliate Member * Associate Member (awarded the post-nominal letters ACIRO) * Member (awarded the post-nominal letters MCIRO) * Fellow (awarded the post-nominal letters FCIRO)

Headquarters

The headquarters of the CIRO is located in Stafford, West Midlands.

CIRO Learning & Development

The CIRO has its own section for learning and development, and provides a means of competence certification for personnel undertaking work in the railway operations sector. The CIRO promotes Learning & Development through Continuing Professional Development, the Mentoring Scheme and Academic Courses. The CIRO aims to provide a focus for raising standards through the use of Short Courses in a bespoke training portfolio and longer courses to educate Railway Operations Management to Certificate, Diploma and Degree level.

References

External links

CIRO website
{{Authority control 2000 establishments in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Staffordshire Railway Operators Rail infrastructure in the United Kingdom Rail transport in Staffordshire Rail transport operations Stafford Transport organisations based in the United Kingdom