Network Rail standard on fatigue

Circular No: NP/164/25

Our ref: HSR

26^th September 2025

 

To: All branch secretaries 

All Regional Councils 

 

Dear Colleagues

 

 

NETWORK RAIL STANDARD ON FATIGUE 

 

I recently received a report from your RMT Health and Safety advisory committee regarding Network Rail and the Company’s management of fatigue. The committee are concerned that although ORR issued their updated managing rail staff fatigue document last August https://www.orr.gov.uk/managing-rail-staff-fatigue, Network Rail have still not rolled out their amended fatigue standard. Indeed, it appears NWR will not do so until December 2028 – some four years after the revised ORR policy was issued. Meanwhile there are many national derogations in place to the NWR fatigue standard - in both signalling centres and maintenance.   

 

At its meeting on 23^rd September 2025 your National Executive Committee noted and adopted the following report from its health and safety sub-committee.            

We note the request on file from our National Health and Safety Advisory Committee.

The General Secretary is instructed to raise this matter in correspondence with Network Rail and any updates to be placed back before this NEC and also shared with our National Health and Safety Advisory Committee. The General Secretary is further instructed to contact our Network Rail lead safety representatives requesting details on all derogations from the standard.

Branches and regional councils to be informed.

 

I am acting in accordance with these instructions and will keep you advised of developments.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Eddie Dempsey

General Secretary