The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published a new action plan designed to support the safe and responsible adoption of artificial intelligence across the UK rail network and England’s strategic road system.
The Safe AI Innovation Action Plan outlines how the regulator intends to encourage innovation while ensuring that safety, transparency and public confidence remain at the centre of AI deployment in transport infrastructure and operations.
As digital technologies become increasingly embedded within transport systems, the regulator has moved to establish a clearer framework for how AI can be developed and deployed within regulated environments.
One of the first measures outlined in the plan is a commitment to provide greater clarity around safety risks and regulatory expectations relating to AI. By the end of September, ORR will publish updated guidance through its Digital Safety Strategy and Strategic Risk Chapter, setting out how organisations should assess and manage health and safety risks associated with digital systems and AI technologies.
The move reflects growing industry interest in applying AI to improve operational performance, predictive maintenance, asset management, customer experience and network resilience. However, it also recognises the need for clear governance as these technologies become more widely adopted.
Beyond regulating industry use of AI, ORR is also looking at how the technology can improve its own operations.
The regulator confirmed it is already using AI within certain internal processes and will expand this work over the coming year. One focus area will be exploring how AI can support interoperability authorisations – the process through which trains and infrastructure are assessed to ensure they can operate safely together across the railway network.
The regulator believes AI could help streamline analysis and improve efficiency within what is often a highly complex technical approval process.
ORR is also planning to use artificial intelligence to strengthen consumer protection activity. By incorporating AI into the analysis of consumer datasets, the regulator hopes to identify emerging trends and potential issues more quickly, enabling earlier intervention where passenger concerns or market issues arise.
Data management forms a significant part of the strategy. ORR has reiterated its commitment to transparency and open data principles, while exploring how greater use of data can support evidence-based regulation without relying on sensitive or personally identifiable information.
The approach aligns with wider government ambitions to position the UK as a leader in responsible AI adoption while ensuring appropriate safeguards remain in place for critical national infrastructure.
For the rail sector, the announcement signals increasing regulatory acceptance of AI-driven solutions, provided organisations can demonstrate appropriate governance, safety assurance and transparency.
Potential applications are wide-ranging. AI is already being explored across the industry for predictive maintenance of assets, timetable optimisation, infrastructure monitoring, passenger demand forecasting, operational decision support, cybersecurity monitoring and workforce planning.
As rail operators and infrastructure managers continue to accelerate digital transformation programmes, clearer regulatory guidance could help remove uncertainty around future deployments and investment decisions.
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s Director of Strategy, Policy and Regulation, said the action plan is intended to provide confidence for both industry and the travelling public.
“ORR’s action plan illustrates how we’re playing our part in enabling responsible adoption of AI with users at the heart of innovation,” she said.
“We’re providing regulatory stability for industry in what we expect from them and in doing so also providing reassurance to users that within the industries we regulate AI can be utilised responsibly, transparently and safely.”
The publication of the action plan comes at a time when AI is becoming an increasingly prominent feature of railway modernisation strategies both in the UK and internationally. As the sector moves towards greater digitalisation and the future establishment of Great British Railways, technologies capable of improving performance, reducing costs and enhancing customer experience are expected to play an increasingly important role.
For rail suppliers, technology developers and infrastructure owners, the challenge will now be translating innovation into operational deployment while meeting emerging regulatory expectations. The ORR’s latest action plan provides an early indication of how that balance between innovation and safety is likely to be managed in the years ahead.
