RAIB
Definition
Rail Accident Investigation Branch: the independent UK body that investigates railway accidents with the objective of improving safety, operating under the same non-blame, safety-focus principle as the AAIB in aviation.
- Full name
- Rail Accident Investigation Branch
- Jurisdiction
- United Kingdom
- Status
- Independent of train operators and regulators
- Objective
- Improve safety, not attribute blame or liability
- Counterpart
- AAIB (aviation), MAIB (marine)
Common questions
How does RAIB's role differ from a criminal investigation into the same rail accident?+
RAIB investigates to identify causes and safety lessons; it does not apportion blame or liability. A separate criminal or regulatory investigation, run by police or the Office of Rail and Road, addresses culpability, and the two run independently.
Can RAIB findings be used as evidence in court?+
RAIB reports are generally protected from use in blame-apportioning proceedings to preserve the non-blame, safety-first environment that encourages witnesses to cooperate freely, though underlying factual material may still be accessible through other routes.
Related terms
- Gauge-Corner Cracking
- A specific RCF pattern where cracks initiate at the gauge corner of the rail head, the edge most heavily loaded by wheel...
- Press-Fit Fretting
- Relative micro-motion between a wheel or disc pressed onto an axle at its interference fit, generating fretting fatigue damage and pits that...
- Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF)
- Surface and subsurface fatigue damage caused by cyclic wheel-rail contact stress. Micro-cracks initiate at the rail surface, typically in the gauge-corner region,...
- Squats
- Flat-bottomed depressions in the rail running surface accompanied by internal crack systems, another manifestation of rolling contact fatigue caused by wheel slip...
- Track Geometry Measurement
- Systematic recording of gauge, cross-level, twist, alignment, and surface profile along a route using dedicated measurement vehicles, producing a continuously updated map...