The Rail Delivery Group Limited (RDG), previously the Association of Train Operating Companies, is the British rail industry membership body that brings together passenger and freight rail companies,

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and railway infrastructure manager, infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. ...

and

High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a high-speed railway which has been under construction in England since 2019. The line's planned route is between Handsacre – in southern Staffordshire – and London, with a Spur line, branch to Birmingham. HS2 is to ...

. The RDG is approximately half-funded by Network Rail, the remainder of its funding being provided by the various transport groups it represents. The current incarnation of the RDG was created in 2017 from the merger of ATOC and a preceding organisation with the same brand. It performs industry-wide communications, defines ticket validity, participates in the formulation of railway policy, and is responsible for the

National Rail Enquiries National Rail (NR) is the Trade name, trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, a group representing passenger train operating company, train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the passen ...

service. The RDG operates several brands and services, including

Interrail The Interrail Pass is a rail pass available to European citizens and residents. Citizens of other countries residing outside Europe may purchase the Eurail Pass instead. Types of Interrail Pass include the Interrail Global Pass and the Interrail ...

and

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, a group representing passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the passenger services previously provided by ...

. Since its creation, it has undertaken several initiatives, such as the opening-up of automatic ticket gates and

ticket machine A ticket machine, also known as a ticket vending machine (TVM), is a vending machine that produces paper or electronic tickets, or recharges a stored-value card or smart card or the user's mobile wallet, typically on a smartphone. For instance, ...

s to competition, and the incorporation of new anti-

fare evasion Fare evasion or fare dodging is the act of travel without payment on public transit. When considered problematic, it is mitigated by revenue protection officers and ticket barriers, staffed or automatic, are in place to ensure only those with va ...

technologies at stations. During 2023, the RDG announced the planned closure of many staffed ticket booths across the network; later that same year, the plan was officially abandoned in the face of public opposition.

History

The current RDG has its roots in two preceding organisations, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), and the Rail Delivery Group. The original Rail Delivery Group was established in 2011 to formulate policy and undertake communications on behalf of the entire railway industry, its membership having comprised all passenger and freight operators in the UK. ATOC was a representative organisation for the various passenger train operating companies operating in Britain; it was established in the wake of the

privatisation of British Rail The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the Rail transport in Great Britain, railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, the process was largely compl ...

by the train operators for the purpose of ensuring the continuation of various nationwide services, such as ticket acceptance and railcard schemes. ATOC also lobbied on the operators' behalf on various matters. On 24 October 2017, ATOC and the original RDG were merged to form the Rail Delivery Group. The new organisation is owned by its members, which comprise

, the nationalised owner of Britain's rail infrastructure; the various

train operating companies In the railway system of Great Britain, a train operating company (TOC) is a railway undertaking operating passenger trains under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways ...

that provide passenger services; the freight operating companies; the Rail Supply Group (RSG) that represents suppliers to the industry; and HS2 Ltd, the company building a high-speed line. While the RDG name was publicly adopted following the merger, the company's legal name has continued to be ATOC Limited.

Operations and responsibilities

The RDG describes its primary purpose as enabling train operating companies and Network Rail to deliver better services for end customers. It performs various key roles in the operation of Britain's railways. Amongst these are defining the validity of tickets, producing the definitive

National Routeing Guide The National Routeing Guide is a document, the definitive resource on the validity of rail tickets for the purpose of rail travel in Great Britain. As stated by the Rail Regulator, "'' tsets out passengers' rights to use the network flexibly' ...

, and contributing to the '' National Fares Manual'', which is distributed by the National Rail website. The organisation is responsible for the allocation and settlement of revenue through ORCATS systems. It also handles the licensing (accreditation) of third party ticket sellers, such as travel agents and online sellers (such as Trainline and Red Spotted Hanky). RDG also performs industry-wide communications with the public, and is responsible for the

service. Between 1997 and 2004, the outsourcing specialist

Serco Serco Group plc is a British multinational corporation, multinational military, defence, Healthcare, health, Space industry, space, private prison, justice, Human migration, migration, customer service, customer services, and transport company ...

was subcontracted to operate the National Rail Enquiry Service by ATOC. The RDG's public relations activities include the sponsorship of various schemes, such as PlusBus, PlusBike, and Bike and Go, as well as staff travel arrangements for both current and retired railway employees. RDG owns both the

and 'Britain Runs on Rail' brands. Furthermore, it is responsible for several international products, such as 'Britrail' and

. The marketing of the Railcard scheme also comes within the organisation's scope. The RDG is partially responsible for railway policy formulation; it works with the Rail Supply Group and other parties to coordinate shared objectives. It also has a relationship with various regional and municipal transport authorities, such as

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

Initiatives

An early pledge made by RDG was the simplification of the British railway ticketing system. During the summer of 2018, it announced measures in line with this objective, including the renaming of half a million tickets, the adoption of simpler language, and a redesign of ticket machines. The RDG has worked closely with the Community Rail Network to support local organisations active on their railway lines and station facilities; this initiative was claimed to have boosted the accessibility of railway services. Since its launch, the RDG has supported Rail to Refuge, a joint initiative between several passenger train operators and

Women's Aid Women's Aid Federation of England, commonly called Women's Aid within England, is one of a group of charities across the United Kingdom. There are four main Women's Aid Federations, 3 for each of the countries of the United Kingdom, and one for t ...

(an English charity), which provides free train travel within Britain for women, men and children travelling to escape

domestic abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...

. In response to the 2022

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, the RDG quickly led a scheme to provide free rail travel to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict. The management of station-based automatic ticket gates and

s across the majority of British railway stations has been a particularly active area for the RDG. Throughout the 2010s, in coordination with the Office of Road and Rail, the organisation worked to open the supply and operation of this equipment to greater market competition. Upgrades to these barriers have also been carried out, including the use of new technology for catching fare evaders; in 2023, the organisation estimated that roughly £240 million in lost revenue was being incurred through

across Britain's railways annually. The RDG worked with the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport ...

and other entities to support the rollout of

contactless payment Contactless payment systems are credit cards and debit cards, key fobs, smart cards, or other devices, including smartphones and other mobile devices, that use radio-frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC) for making sec ...

methods in the South East of England by the end of 2023. In November 2023, the organisation invited suppliers to present proposals for a nationwide contactless ticketing system. In July 2023, RDG announced proposals for the closure of many ticket offices across the network. Several organisations spoke out against this change;

Disability Rights UK Disability Rights UK (DR UK) is a UK pan-disability charity which was set up with the aim of representing the needs and expectations of disabled people in the UK. Disability Rights UK was formed as a result of several disability charities mergi ...

raised concerns, stating: "The outcome will reduce confidence in the whole railway system and end the ability for far too many Disabled people to travel by rail at all." Negative opinions on public safety and security were also voiced. In October 2023, the planned closures were abandoned in the face of opposition from the public and from the

National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (commonly known as the RMT) is a British trade union covering the transport sector. Its current President is George Welch and its current General Secretary is Eddie Dempsey. The RMT ...

(RMT)

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

, which was taking strike action at the time.

International counterparts

As rail franchising also takes place in other countries, many of these nations have one or more equivalent organisations. In Germany, the (German Tariff Association) is responsible for railway ticket revenue distribution. Political representation of established companies is carried out by the Association of German Transport Companies (, VDV), whereas public relations of new entrant TOCs are chiefly dealt with by Mofair e.V. In Spain the (Spanish Association of Passenger Rail Companies) represents the sector, and aims to contribute to changes and regulatory improvement and support and defend the rail transport mode. In Sweden, the equivalent organisation is the (Association of Train Operating Companies).

References

External links