Advice on evaluating and regulating rail strategic planning

ORR is seeking advice on its approach to understanding and regulating the Infrastructure Manager's (IM) delivery of strategic planning. ORR has previously more directly involved with strategic planning, but during CP6 our engagement with NR's System Operator has focused more strongly on other issues such as timetabling. We consider that strategic planning is likely to need a stronger regulatory focus during CP7 and would therefore like to consider our capabilities and approach. We are seeking advice and recommendations on the following: • What characteristics and qualities the IM's strategic planning processes will need to support the public interest and private sector use of the network (freight and open access). • Evaluative commentary on Network Rail's previous approaches to strategic planning, including: o An assessment of what characteristics/qualities worked particularly well, or conversely were problematic o What fostered good engagement and confidence in the outcomes o Whether there are lessons to be drawn from previous approaches. • What types of behaviours need to be encouraged through our regulatory approach, both within IM and by stakeholders; and how these behaviours can be a) assessed and b) supported/incentivised. • How the strategic planning function of NR and/or GBR can be held to account through Control Period 7. This should include consideration of: o How and when in strategic planning process ORR can most effectively evaluate (and if necessary, intervene in) strategic planning to ensure that it delivers government priorities and stakeholder requirements. o What elements of the strategic planning process ORR could most effectively seek to evaluate (for example, consideration of "input" issues such as stakeholder engagement; process and capability issues; and output quality.) o Whether there are lessons to be drawn for ORR's approach to holding to account on strategic planning, potentially drawing on previous approaches or the approach taken by other regulators. • Updating ORR's guidelines on strategic planning. Our current guidance is available here: Long term planning process | Office of Rail and Road (orr.gov.uk) • What capabilities ORR may need to develop or source to support our future capability in holding the IM to account. Advice and recommendations should be robust to the particular circumstances of GBR as an integrated rail body (responsible for both infrastructure and large proportion of train service specification) and the current position of NR as IM but not franchise authority. It will be critical that all funders, specifiers, all types of train operator and freight operators have confidence in the strategic planning process whatever wider industry structure is in place. We are not seeking advice on what GBR's strategic planning process should be, or how it is resourced or delivered. This is a matter for GBR.