Train Operating Companies and Network Rail: Databases
(asked on 24th October 2018) - View Source
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) open and closed data, (b) data produced legacy systems, (c) data owned or created by train operating companies and (d) data from Network Rail.
To answer parts (a), (b) and (c) of the question, the DfT has worked with the rail industry to publish a Joint Rail Data Action Plan. This outlines the Government’s assessment on open and closed rail data, and sets out a number of actions the rail industry will take to ensure data is being shared and used for the benefit of the railways and rail passengers.
This plan will ensure a shift in the railway industry’s approach to using and sharing its data, including new datasets to be made openly available, improvement on how data is collected and classified and new initiatives to bring the rail and technology sectors together. This will drive forward innovation within the rail industry and forge partnerships with the developer community so that the use of data is maximised and more accurate and up-to-date information is put into the hands of the passengers.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/joint-rail-data-action-plan
To answer part (d) of the question, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) monitor data quality through the use of Independent Reporters as part of their role as the rail regulator. These provide assessments of data quality for Network Rail’s data. The metrics and datasets they assess are given a grading based on system reliability and data accuracy. These assessment reports are published on the ORR’s website.