Route Utilisation Strategies (RUS)

Following the Rail Review in 2004 and the Railways Act 2005, The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) modified Network Rail’s network licence in June 2005 to require the establishment of RUSs across the network. Simultaneously, the ORR published guidelines on RUSs. Both the licence conditions and the guidelines were updated and re-issued in April 2009.

A RUS is treated under the network management condition of the network licence as a strategy which will promote the route utilisation objective.  The route utilisation objective is defined as:

“the effective and efficient use and development of the capacity available, consistent with funding that is, or is reasonably likely to become, available during the period of the route utilisation strategy and with the licence holder’s performance of the duty in condition 1.2”.

The “duty” referred to in the objective is Network Rail’s general duty under its network management licence condition in relation to the operation, maintenance, renewal and development of the network.

The ORR guidelines explain that:

“An established RUS allows Network Rail, train operators, suppliers, funders and other stakeholders to plan their businesses with greater clarity and certainty.”

The guidelines also set out the scope that RUSs should cover, the process they should follow, and the assumptions that should be made in developing each RUS.

Network Rail has developed a RUS Manual which consists of a consultation guide and a technical guide. These explain the processes we will use to comply with the licence condition and the guidelines. These and other documents relating to individual RUSs and the overall RUS programme are available through the link below.

Click here for more information about Route Utilisation Strategies.