Network Operating Strategy

Network Operating Strategy, a ten-year industry strategy to improve railway operations.

The Network Operating Strategy are a collection of two strategies (Net Ops 1 and Net Ops 2) formed by industry to improve railway operations. The strategy documents each set out a series of recommendations on how to better enable operational teams across the rail industry to deliver improved train services for customers and passengers for the next ten years.

The documents bring together operational views from across the industry into a set of clear improvement targets. The consultation process used to formulate the strategy documents have been created with valuable input from across Network Rail and UK passenger and freight operations.

Contributions were also made by senior leaders in the operational delivery of train operating companies (TOCs) and freight operating companies (FOCs), as well as from key supporting organisations including the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and the Institution of Railway Operators (IRO).

Net Ops 1

In the summer of 2020, phase one of the strategy was released, also known as Net Ops 1. It highlights ten areas for focus with each having a series of ‘key requirements’ – 32 in total – to improve rail operations. These include operations training and development, review of command-and-control structures and operations leadership of systems and projects.

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Net Ops 2

The second phase of the Network Operating Strategy, known as Net Ops 2, takes into consideration the themes and key requirements set out in Net Ops 1, and these were mirrored in the research for Net Ops 2.

Net Ops 2 sets out a series of recommendations on how to better enable operational teams to deliver improved train services across industry. It focuses on three core areas for improvements; people, change and technology, and process. Covering those three priorities are a series of goals and actions that operational teams can take to help guide them in developing their operations models and structures.

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Both aims to put operations back at the heart of the rail industry by giving colleagues working in operations better support and making sure operational systems, policies and processes are the best they can be.

To find out more, or if you have any questions, please emailNetOps@networkrail.co.uk.