The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its Safe AI Innovation Action Plan, outlining how it will support the responsible and secure adoption of artificial intelligence across the UK rail network and England’s strategic road system.
The plan sets a clear direction for how the regulator intends to balance innovation with safety, ensuring that AI technologies can be deployed confidently while protecting passengers, freight users and wider stakeholders.
Clarifying risks and expectations
One of ORR’s immediate priorities is to provide greater clarity on AI-related safety risks and regulatory expectations. This guidance will be delivered by the end of September through its Digital Safety Strategy and an updated Strategic Risk Chapter, focusing specifically on the health and safety implications of digital systems.
By formalising expectations early, ORR aims to give industry stakeholders the confidence to invest in AI solutions without uncertainty around compliance.
Embedding AI into regulatory processes
The regulator has confirmed that AI is already being used within some of its internal operations. Over the coming year, ORR will expand this by exploring how AI can enhance critical regulatory activities, including:
- Interoperability authorisations: Integrating AI into assessments that ensure trains and infrastructure can safely operate together across the network
- Consumer protection: Using AI-driven analytics to monitor datasets and identify emerging issues earlier, enabling faster intervention
This signals a shift towards more data-driven, proactive regulation, in which risks can be identified and mitigated before they escalate.
A continued focus on transparent data use
Data remains central to ORR’s approach. The Action Plan reinforces its commitment to open and transparent data practices, enabling greater use of data in decision-making without compromising sensitive or personally identifiable information.
By expanding access to usable, non-sensitive data, the regulator hopes to support innovation across the sector while maintaining robust safeguards.
Stephanie Tobyn, Director of Strategy, Policy and Regulation at ORR, emphasised the importance of balancing innovation and responsibility:
“ORR’s action plan illustrates how we’re playing our part in enabling responsible adoption of AI with users at the heart of innovation.
“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.”
What this means for the rail industry
For rail professionals and supply chain partners, the Action Plan provides:
- Greater regulatory certainty around AI deployment
- Clearer safety frameworks for digital innovation
- Opportunities to leverage AI in operational and customer-focused applications
- Confidence in data governance standards
As AI adoption accelerates, ORR’s structured approach is likely to play a crucial role in shaping how technologies are implemented safely across infrastructure, rolling stock and passenger services.
Image credit: iStock
