About us
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) brings together the companies that run Britain’s railway into a single team with one goal - to deliver a better railway for you and your community.
All the passenger and freight rail companies are members of the RDG, as well as Network Rail and HS2 (see the full list of our licensed and associate members). We provide services and support to enable our members to succeed in transforming and delivering a successful railway, benefiting customers, taxpayers and the economy. We also provide support and give a voice to freight and passenger operators, as well as delivering important national ticketing, information and reservation services for passengers and staff on behalf of member companies.
Rail is fundamental to the country’s prosperity. After enormous growth, Britain’s railway is increasingly important in connecting workers to jobs, businesses to markets, and people to their families and friends. The combination of public and private investment going into the railway is set to boost the UK’s economy by almost £85bn, benefiting every region of Britain.
‘In Partnership for Britain’s Prosperity’ is our single, long-term plan to secure a stronger economy, better customer journeys and more rewarding jobs on the railway. Our commitments will set Britain’s railway on a course to deliver more for customers, communities, the economy and our people. Find out more about our priorities, including our plans for radical fares reform and our response to the Williams Rail Review.
To support the Plan, our day to day work is overseen by four Strategic Boards:
- Customer Board
- Planning & Production Board
- Rail Supply Group Council
- Reform Board
For information about our public-facing and B2B services (including National Rail Enquiries and railcards), please go to the Our Services section.
Our history
ATOC (Association of Train Operating Companies) was set up after privatisation in 1993, to bring together all train companies to preserve and enhance the benefits for passengers of Britain’s national rail network.
In 2011, one of the recommendations made by the McNulty rail value for money report was that a leadership body be established to take responsibility for coordinating and leading on cross-industry initiatives. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) was established in June 2011 by the major passenger and freight train operator groups and Network Rail to fulfil this role.
In 2013, the structure of RDG was formalised to ensure that it continued to receive the full commitment of key people and organisations from across the railway industry. This was achieved through the incorporation of a new membership condition into the licences of Network Rail and those passenger and freight operators that operate over the mainline network.
In October 2016, the single name of Rail Delivery Group was adopted to describe ATOC and RDG.
