The new Medical Advisory Panel will help ensure that the medical advice for train drivers continues to reflect the latest developments in healthcare and clinical practice. This could help the railway move beyond some traditional medical triggers, such as age-based assessments, towards a more personalised understanding of individual health risk.
The railway relies on highly skilled train drivers to safely move millions of passengers and tonnes of freight every year. Advances in medicine, treatment and healthcare technology are creating new opportunities to help people working in this safety-critical role. To help the railway benefit from these developments, the industry has launched a new Train Driving Medical Advisory Panel.
The panel will not replace existing medical assessments. Instead, it will provide expert advice that informs those processes, improving consistency and helping ensure they continue to be underpinned by the best available medical knowledge.
Established by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), in partnership with the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the panel brings together train operators, railway medical practitioners, ASLEF representatives, and specialists in occupational health and medicine.
Panel workstreams will include:
- Reviewing emerging medical evidence relevant to safety-critical work.
- Considering how developments in treatments, medication, or healthcare technologies could inform future guidance.
- Providing expert advice on emerging or complex medical topics relevant to train driving.
- Identifying topics where additional research would help strengthen the evidence base.
- Sharing knowledge and good practice to ensure consistency across train operators.
RSSB CEO Mark Phillips, said: ‘Train drivers carry the safety of millions. The medical standards behind them should reflect the best of modern health care, not the habits of the past. This panel exists to keep them current, consistent and fair.’
Richard Hines, ORR’s HM Chief Inspector of Railways, commented: ‘As the regulator responsible for issuing train driving licences, we need to be confident that drivers continue to meet the medical fitness requirements needed for this safety-critical role. This new panel will give the doctors we recognise to carry out those assessments a valuable forum to share experience, consider complex and emerging medical issues and help ensure medical guidance remains consistent, current and informed by the latest clinical evidence.’
Image credit: RSSB
