Background

CIRAS was set-up by Scotrail in 1996 and gradually more and more railway companies volunteered to join the system. Following the Ladbroke Grove accident, all GB mainline rail companies had to become members of a confidential reporting system and CIRAS went national in 2000. It is now available to all rail workers throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

CIRAS operates as an independent unit within RSSB. All CIRAS confidential information is only available to the members of the CIRAS team. CIRAS has full access to RSSB research and reports on safety within the rail industry and benefits from the knowledge and experience RSSB has to offer.