Term |
Explanation |
| ACI |
Allied Continental Intermodal, a company selling space on freight trains through the
Channel Tunnel |
| ACTO |
Association of Charter Train Operators. |
| AHB |
Automatic Half Barriers (level crossing controls) |
| ALARP |
As low as reasonably practical |
| APT |
Advanced Passenger Train. |
| APTIS |
All Purpose Ticket Issuing System |
| ATB |
Automatic Ticket Barrier |
| ATC |
Angel Train Contacts |
| ATOC |
Association of Train Operating Companies. |
| ATP |
Automatic Train Protection. |
| ATT |
Advanced Tilting Train. |
| AWS |
Automatic Warning System. |
| BNS |
Birmingham New Street |
| BRB |
British Railways Board. |
| BRBS |
British Rail Business Systems |
| BRT |
British Rail Telecommunications |
| BRUTE |
British Railways Universal Trolley Equipment |
| BTP |
British Transport Police |
| CCTV |
Closed Circuit Television, (at level crossing and stations) |
| CDR |
Cheap Day Return |
| CIM |
The international (well, European at any rate) convention for the movement of goods by
rail |
| CIP |
Core Investment Program |
| COBA |
Cost Benefit Analysis |
| CSC |
Connex South Central (now known just as Connex) |
| CSE |
Connex South Eastern (now known just as Connex) |
| CTL |
Combined Transport Limited, a company selling space on freight trains through
the Channel Tunnel |
| CTRL |
Channel Tunnel Rail Link |
| CTRL |
Channel Tunnel Rail Link |
| DEMU |
Diesel-electric multiple unit |
| DETR |
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions |
| DLR |
Docklands Light Railway. |
| DEMU |
Diesel Electric Multiple Unit. |
| DMU |
Diesel Hydraulic Multiple Unit. |
| DMU |
Diesel Multiple Unit. |
| DMU |
Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit. |
| DOO |
Driver Only Operation. |
| DoT |
Department of Transport. |
| DVT |
Driving Van Trailer. |
| DVT |
Driving Van Trailer. |
| ECML |
East Coast Main Line. |
| ECS |
Empty Coaching Stock |
| Emcar |
Empty Carriages |
| EMU |
Electric Multiple Unit. |
| ERTMS |
European Rail Traffic Management System |
| ETCS |
European Train Control System |
| ETH |
Electric Train Heating. |
| EWS |
English Welsh and Scottish Railway. |
| FOC |
Freight Operating Company. |
| FTA |
Freight Transport Association |
| FTR |
Forward Trust Rail |
| FURNO |
Until Further Notice |
| GBTT |
Great Britain Timetable |
| GER |
Great Eastern Railway (now called First Great Eastern) |
| GMML |
Greater Manchester Metrolink. |
| GMPTA |
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority |
| GNER |
Great North Eastern Railway. |
| GNER |
Great North Eastern Railway |
| GNR |
Great Northern Railway. |
| GoCo |
Government Owned Company. |
| GW |
Great Western |
| GWR |
Great Western Railway |
| GWML |
Great Western Main Line. |
| GWT |
Great Western Trains (now called First Great Western) |
| HST |
High Speed Train. |
| IBS |
Intermediate Block Section |
| IC |
Intercity (now separated into different companies). |
| IECC |
Integrated Electronic Control Centre. |
| IMC |
Infrastructure maintenance company. |
| IMU |
Infrastructure maintenance unit. |
| ISO |
International Organization for Standardization, eg ISO container, a container built to
ISO dimensions and capable of moving by rail, road or sea |
| ITT |
Invitation To Tender. |
| JLE |
Jubilee Line Extension |
| KX |
King’s Cross |
| LGV |
Ligne a Grande Vitesse (French for High Speed Line) |
| LMS |
London, Midland & Scottish Railway |
| LNER |
London & North Eastern Railway |
| Lo-lo |
Lift on, lift off, (containers) |
| LRV |
Light Rail Vehicle |
| LTS |
London, Tilbury and Southend |
| LUL |
London Underground Limited. |
| MBO |
Management buy out. |
| MEBO |
Management and employee buy out. |
| MGR |
Merry Go Round (coal train from pit to power station). |
| MML |
Midland Main Line |
| NE |
National Express. |
| NEG |
National Express Group |
| NER |
North Eastern Railway |
| NFM |
National Fare Manual |
| NLR |
North London Railways (now called Silverlink Train Services) |
| NMC |
Network Management Centres |
| NRES |
National Railway Enquires (0845 7 48 49 50 call centre) |
| NRM |
National Railway Museum |
| NSE |
Network SouthEast (Now abolished). |
| NWT |
North Western Trains (now called First North Western) |
| NX |
Entrance, exit (a system of route setting in power signalboxes) |
| ODT |
One Day Travelcard |
| OHLE |
Overhead Line Equipment (electric power supply) |
| OLE |
Overhead Line Equipment (electric power supply) |
| OOU |
Out Of Use |
| OPRAF |
Office of Passenger Rail Franchising |
| ORR |
Office of the Rail Regulator. |
| PF |
Penalty Fare |
| PFI |
Private Finance Initiative |
| PICOP |
Person In Charge Of Possession. |
| PICOW |
Person In Charge Of Work. |
| PORTIS |
Portable Ticket Issuing System. |
| PSB |
Power Signalbox (ie a fairly modern box covering a large area with a high degree of
automation and track circuit block control) |
| PSR |
Passenger Service Requirement (the minimum service levels and calling patterns for
train services). |
| PSR |
Passenger Service Requirements |
| PTA |
Passenger Transport Authority. |
| PTE |
Passenger Transport Executive. |
| RfD |
Railfreight Distribution. |
| RHA |
Road Haulage Association. |
| Ro-ro |
Roll on, roll off, (lorries on ferries or Le Shuttle) |
| ROSCO |
Rolling Stock Leasing Company. |
| RPI |
Revenue Protection Officer |
| RR |
Regional Railways (now separated into different companies). |
| RRNE |
Regional Railways North East. |
| RRNE |
Regional Railways North East (now called Northern Spirit) |
| RSA |
Railway Study Association |
| RSP |
Rail Settlement Plan |
| RUCC |
Rail Users Consultative Committee. |
| RUG |
Rail Freight Group (originally the Railfreight Users' Group), a trade association. |
| S&C |
Settle and Carlisle |
| SC |
South Central (now part of Connex) |
| SE |
South Eastern (now part of Connex) |
| SLU |
Standard Length Unit (21 feet or 7 yards, used to measure train length and capacity of
loops and sidings) |
| SQUIRE |
Service Quality Incentive REgime |
| SOR |
Standard Open Return |
| SPAD |
Signal Passed At Danger. |
| SparesCo |
Spare part company. |
| SPT |
Signal Post Telephone |
| SPT |
Strathclyde passenger Transport |
| SRA |
Strategic Rail Authority |
| SRP |
Safety Review Panel (Railtrack) |
| SSI |
Solid State Interlocking. |
| SSR |
Super Saver Return |
| SW&W |
South Wales and West (now Wales and West) |
| SWT |
South West Trains. |
| SYPTE |
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive. |
| SYST |
South Yorkshire Supertram. |
| TCB |
Track Circuit Block (a signalling system) |
| TCF |
Track Circuit Failure |
| TCS |
Train Control System |
| TDM |
Time Division Multiplex (remote control systems used in DVTs). |
| TEB |
Telephone Enquiry Bureau |
| TESCO |
Technical support company. |
| TEU |
Twenty foot Equivalent Unit, the standard measure for a quantity of ISO containers |
| TGV |
Train a Grande Vitesse (French for High Speed Train) |
| TIRE |
Ticketing Incentive REgime |
| TMD |
Traction Maintenance Depot |
| TOC |
Train operating company. |
| TOC |
Train operating company. |
| TOPS |
Total Operations Processing System (the computer database of rolling stock) |
| TOU |
Train operating unit. |
| TPH |
Trains Per Hour |
| TRC |
Infrastructure track renewal company. |
| TRN |
Train Reporting Number. |
| TRU |
Infrastructure track renewal unit. |
| TSR |
Temporary Speed Restriction. |
| UFN |
Until Further Notice. |
| UIC |
Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer (International Union of Railways, the umbrella
organisation for railway standards) |
| VWC |
Virgin West Coast (now called Virgin Trains) |
| VXC |
Virgin CrossCountry (now called Virgin Trains) |
| WAGN |
West Anglia Great Northern (Railway) |
| WCML |
West Coast Main Line |
| XC |
CrossCountry (now part of Virgin Trains) |
| Y-P |
Young Person (as in the Young Person Railcard) |