ORR Unveils Roadmap for Safe and Responsible AI Adoption Across Rail and Roads

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has launched a new action plan aimed at supporting the safe, transparent and responsible use of artificial intelligence across the UK's rail sector and England’s strategic road network.

The Safe AI Innovation Action Plan outlines how the regulator intends to encourage technological innovation while ensuring that safety, public confidence and regulatory oversight remain at the centre of AI deployment.

Clearer Guidance for Industry

A key priority identified within the plan is providing greater clarity around the risks associated with AI systems and the regulatory expectations organisations will be required to meet.

ORR has confirmed that updated guidance will be published by the end of September as part of its wider Digital Safety Strategy and Strategic Risk Framework. The new guidance will focus specifically on health and safety considerations linked to digital technologies and emerging AI applications.

The regulator believes that establishing clear expectations early will help provide confidence for operators, technology developers and infrastructure owners looking to introduce AI-driven solutions.

AI Already Supporting Regulatory Activities

While the action plan looks ahead to future innovation, ORR revealed that artificial intelligence is already being used within some of its own internal processes.

Over the coming year, the regulator plans to explore how AI technologies could enhance interoperability authorisation processes — the assessments that ensure trains, signalling systems and infrastructure can safely operate together across the railway network.

The organisation is also investigating how AI can strengthen its analysis of consumer data, helping identify emerging issues more quickly and enabling earlier intervention when problems arise.

By improving data analysis capabilities, ORR hopes to enhance consumer protection while supporting more informed regulatory decision-making.

Data and Transparency Remain Central

The regulator emphasised that data will play an increasingly important role in both innovation and oversight.

As part of the action plan, ORR has reaffirmed its commitment to open and transparent data practices, enabling more information to be used in regulatory processes while reducing reliance on sensitive or personally identifiable data.

The organisation believes this approach can support innovation without compromising privacy, security or public trust.

Balancing Innovation with Safety

Stephanie Tobyn, ORR's Director of Strategy, Policy and Regulation, said the action plan demonstrates the regulator’s commitment to enabling innovation while ensuring users remain at the centre of decision-making.

She explained that the framework is designed to provide industry with greater certainty around regulatory expectations while also offering reassurance that AI technologies will be introduced responsibly and safely within the sectors ORR oversees.

Growing Role for AI in Infrastructure

The publication of the action plan reflects the increasing role artificial intelligence is expected to play across transport infrastructure in the coming years.

Potential applications range from predictive maintenance and asset management to operational planning, customer service and safety monitoring. However, regulators and industry leaders continue to stress that adoption must be accompanied by robust governance, transparency and risk management.

With rail and road operators increasingly exploring AI-driven solutions, ORR's new strategy signals a proactive approach to ensuring innovation can be embraced without compromising safety, reliability or public confidence.