Britain’s Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) marks 20 years of independently investigating accidents and incidents on the UK railway.
Railway and tramway passengers and workers have benefited from safer journeys and working environments following two decades of independent safety investigations by the RAIB.
Since becoming operational on 17th October 2005, RAIB has deployed investigators 777 times across Britain’s railway network. The organisation’s 427 published reports have generated 1,891 safety recommendations and 447 learning points that have directly contributed to improved safety standards across the industry.
The organisation has issued 52 urgent safety advice notifications when immediate action was needed to protect lives. Its 138 safety bulletins and digests have highlighted 278 critical safety messages to the industry.
RAIB operates independently from railway companies, regulators and prosecution bodies. Its investigators, recruited from across the industry, use their expertise to identify both technical failures and systemic issues that could lead to accidents.
This systematic approach to safety improvement protects the 1.7 billion passenger journeys made in on the British mainline railway each year and many more on other systems.
Abridged Report from the Rail Business Daily; 20 October 2025
