Code of Practice – KPIs for Rail Infrastructure Performance – Track and Civil

The objective of this Code of Practice (CoP) is to provide a consistent approach to measuring the performance of railway infrastructure in a rail corridor with primary focus on the railway track. The CoP lists performance indicators (PIs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) that may be widely adopted to manage the performance of railway infrastructure.

This CoP has been reviewed against applicable European standards such as EN 15341 and international research papers with the aim to maintain a level of consistency in performance measurement, management and reporting.

This CoP aims to achieve a high degree of harmonisation of KPIs that are identified and selected to apply.

This Code of Practice (CoP) aims to provide a consistent approach to measuring the performance of railway infrastructure in a rail corridor with primary focus on the railway track. It seeks to achieve a high degree of harmonisation of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are identified and selected for application across the rail industry.

The Code of Practice creates a common set of KPIs that Rail Infrastructure Managers can use to monitor performance. By applying a chosen subset of performance indicators from this CoP, organisations can define objectives and strategies for improving safety, environmental, economic, technical, and organisational outcomes without requiring changes to existing inspection, maintenance, or regulatory regimes.

For the purposes of this CoP, rail infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, mainline operational track and selected railway structures. It focuses on providing performance measurement tools for these critical infrastructure components.

By monitoring the proposed Performance Indicators (PIs) and KPIs, along with implementing proactive measures, Rail Infrastructure Managers can effectively facilitate the execution of hazard control measures outlined in their track maintenance plan (TMP). This improves the overall safety of the railway, with focuses on regular monitoring, maintenance effectiveness and efficiency, and benchmarking.

Implementation of this CoP can assist in managing key risks such as:

• Track failure resulting in derailment
• Poor track quality resulting in rolling stock damage
• Inadequate track maintenance resulting in rolling stock damage

A systematic approach is recommended:

• Review this CoP against any relevant internal standards
• Identify common areas and variances between your current practices and the CoP
• Where commonality exists, use your organisation’s change management process to update requirements to reference the CoP (for example, change a requirement for monitoring KPIs to ‘KPIs shall be monitored in accordance with RISSB COP KPIs for Rail Infrastructure Performance – Track and Civil’)
• Where variances occur, assess whether the CoP provides better safety and/or interoperability outcomes against your organisation’s risk profile and SFAIRP argument
• If the CoP results in improved safety and/or interoperability outcomes, amend organisational standards to reference the CoP using your organisation’s change management process
• If your internal standards provide better outcomes, the CoP can still be referenced, however a derogation or deviation statement to the CoP may be required within your organisation’s standards