Approved List of Exclusions from the scope of the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011
Updated 15 December 2021
© Crown copyright 2021
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exclusions-from-the-railways-interoperability-regulations-2011/approved-list-of-exclusions-from-the-scope-of-the-railways-interoperability-regulations-2011
This list is kept by the Department for Transport in accordance with Regulation 3 of the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011.
List
Metros (metropolitan railways and their vehicles)
East London Railway (ELR) (Highbury & Islington station to New Cross station and New Cross Gate station via Whitechapel: only those tracks used exclusively by ELR between Highbury & Islington and Dalston Junction.
East London Railway (Surrey Quays station to Old Kent Road Junction where the ELR meets the existing rail route between South Bermondsey and Queen’s Road Peckham stations).
Glasgow Underground (Subway)
London Underground (LU) vehicles and heritage vehicles, and other structural subsystems provided predominantly for the provision of London Underground services or provided predominantly to ensure the compatibility of other services using LU infrastructure
Tyne & Wear Metro (including vehicles running over Network Rail infrastructure)
Trams and tramways
Blackpool and Fleetwood Tramway
Greater Manchester Metrolink
Croydon Tramlink
Nottingham Express Transit
Southport Pier Tramway
South Yorkshire (Sheffield) Supertram
Edinburgh Tram
West Midlands Metro
Tram-Train vehicles running on the tramways listed plus Network Rail and Amey Keolis Infrastructure/Seilwaith Amey Keolis Limited infrastructure.
Tram-Train overhead line equipment (OHLE) and all other assets and systems provided for the use of the Tram- Train.
Other light rail systems
Docklands Light Railway
Networks (infrastructure) that are functionally separate from the rest of the rail system and intended only for the operation of local, urban or suburban passenger services and railway undertakings (and their vehicles) operating on such networks
Island Line: Isle of Wight (Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin)
Infrastructure and vehicles reserved for a strictly local use
Vehicles only
Parry People Mover (vehicles only)
CBD range shunters (Built by Clayton Equipment) permanently fitted with Global System for Mobile Communications-Railway (GSM-R)
Class 08 (0-6-0) shunters (built by British Rail)
Class 09 (0-6-0) shunters (built by British Rail)
Infrastructure only
St Ives to St Erth
Looe Valley: Liskeard to Looe
Tamar Valley Line: St Budeaux to Gunnislake
Abbey Line: Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey
Penistone Line: Barnsley to Penistone to Huddersfield
Esk Valley Line: Middlesbrough to Whitby
Tarka Line: Barnstaple to Cowley Bridge Junction
Dartmoor Line: Okehampton to Coleford Junction
Maritime Line: Falmouth to Truro
Derwent Valley Line: Whatstandwell to Matlock
East Lancashire Line: Colne to Gannow Junction (Burnley)
Gainsborough Line: Marks Tey to Sudbury
Barton Line: Barton-on-Humber to Ulceby North Junction
Bittern Line: North Walsham to Sheringham
Lakes Line: Oxenholme Lake District to Windermere
South Fylde Line: Blackpool South to Kirkham and Wesham
Lymington Line: Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier
Infrastructure and vehicles reserved for a historical (heritage) or touristic use (including vehicles of all types, for example, trams)
Note 1: Reference to rail systems in this category includes vehicles that are used (mainly) on any of the listed infrastructure. If such vehicles in this category are occasionally used for operation on the mainline railway (for example, a steam tour), they continue to be excluded from scope with respect to that operation.
Note 2: All infrastructure and vehicles with a track gauge of 350mm or under are considered automatically excluded from scope through blanket exemption in the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011 even though some such rail systems might be included in the list below.
Note 3: Even though historical or touristic use vehicles are excluded from the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, any railway undertaking seeking to operate them on the GB mainline is still required by the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations to have an ORR-certified Safety Management System (SMS).
The SMS must ensure compliance with relevant Railway Industry Standards.
For historical or touristic use vehicles, this means ensuring that they are certified under RIS-2003-RST ‘Certification and Registration of Heritage Rail Vehicles Operating on the GB Mainline Railway’ to demonstrate compliance with RIS-4472-RST ‘Engineering Requirements for Steam Locomotives and other Heritage Rail Vehicles’.
Exclusions
The following infrastructure and vehicles are excluded from interoperability regulations.
For operation of any other vehicles for historic or touristic purposes on the GB mainline, the requirements of Note 3 apply.
Abbey Light Railway
Abbey Pumping Station Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Aberystwyth Electric Cliff Railway
Alford Valley Railway
Almond Valley Railway
Aln Valley Railway
Alton Towers monorail
Amberley Working Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
American Adventure Theme Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Amerton Railway
Angelsey Central Railway
Apedale Valley Light Railway
Appleby Frodingham Railway
Astley Green Colliery Museum Railway
Avon Valley Railway
Babbacombe Cliff Railway
Bala Lake Railway
Barrow Hill Roundhouse Railway Centre (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Battlefield Line Railway
Beamish North of England Open Air Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Bicton Woodland Railway
Bideford Railway Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Billing Miniature Railway
Blackpool Zoo Miniature Railway
Blenheim Park Railway
Black Country Living Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Bluebell Railway
Bodmin and Wenford Railway
Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway
Border Union Railway
Bournemouth Fishermans’ Walk Cliff Railway
Bowes Railway
Bradford Industrial Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Brecon Mountain Railway
Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway
Bressingham Steam Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Bridgend Valleys Railway
Bridgnorth Castle Hill Railway
Bristol Harbour Railway
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Bure Valley Railway
Burseldon Brickworks (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway
Cairngorm Mountain Railway
Caledonian Railway
Cambrian Heritage Railway
Central Tramway Scarborough
Centre for Alternative Technology (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Chasewater Railway
Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
Cholsey and Wallingford Railway
Churnet Valley Railway
Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway
Colne Valley Railway
Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Conkers Express
Conwy Valley Railway Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Corris Railway
Cotswold Wildlife Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Coventry Railway Centre (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Craigtoun Miniature Railway
Crich Tramway Museum
Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Darlington Railway Centre and Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Dart Valley Railway
Dean Forest Railway
Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway
Derwent Valley Light Railway
Devon Railway Centre (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Didcot Railway Centre ( rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Dolgarrog Railway
Drayton Manor Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Drusillas Zoo Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Dunaskin Heritage Centre (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
East Anglia Transport Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
East Anglian Railway Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
East Cliff Railway (Bournemouth)
East Hayling Light Railway
East Hill Cliff Railway (Hastings)
East Kent Railway
East Lancashire Railway
East Links Family Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
East Somerset Railway
East Suffolk Light Railway
Eaton Hall (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Ecclesborne Valley Railway
Eden Valley Railway
Elsecar Steam Railway
Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
Epping to Ongar Railway
Evesham Vale Light Railway
Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways
Flamingo Land Theme Park and Zoo (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Foxfield Light Railway
Gartell Light Railway
Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway
Golden Valley Light Railway
The Grand Hibernian
Great Bush Railway
Great Central Railway (Loughborough)
Great Central Railway (Nottingham)
Great Orme Tramway
Guilliver’s Theme Park, Warrington (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Guilliver’s World, Milton Keynes (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Gwili Steam Railway
Haigh Country Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Heatherslaw Light Railway
Heaton Park Tramway
Hollycombe Steam Collection (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Hopewell Colliery Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Hythe Pier Railway
Imperial War Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Irchester Country Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway
Keith and Dufftown Railway
Kent and East Sussex Railway
Kew Bridge Steam Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Kirkland Sidings Heritage Centre (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Kirklees Light Railway
Knowsley Safari Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway
Lakeside Miniature Railway
Lappa Valley Steam Railway
Launceston Steam Railway
Lavender Line
Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway
Leas Cliff Railway (Folkestone)
Leeds Industrial Museum, Armley Mills (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Legoland, Windsor (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Leighton Buzzard Railway
Lightwater Valley theme park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway
Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
Llanberis Lake Railway
Llangollen Railway
Llechwedd Slate Caverns (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Longleat (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway
Mangapps Farm Railway Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Margam Country Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Markeaton Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Marwell Zoological Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Mid-Hants Railway (Watercress Line)
Mid-Norfolk Railway
Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Middleton Railway
Midland Railway, Butterley
Milky Way Adventure Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Morwellham Quay Historic Port and Copper Mine (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
National Coal Mining Museum for England (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
National Railway Museum, York (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
National Slate Museum, Llanberis (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
National Tramway Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Nene Valley Railway
North Bay Railway
North Gloucestershire Railway
North Ings Farm Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
North Norfolk Railway
North Tyneside Steam Railway
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Northampton and Lamport Steam Railway
Oakwood Theme Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Old Kiln Light Railway
Oswestry Railway Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Queen Elizabeth II Country Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Paignton and Dartmouth Railway
Paignton Zoo Environmental Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Paradise Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Paultons Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Peak Rail
Pembrey County Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Perrygrove Railway
Pleasure Beach Express
Pleasure Island Family Theme Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Pleasurewood Hills Leisure Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Plym Valley Railway
Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
Postal Museum (London) ‘Mail Rail’
Prestongrange Industrial Heritage Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Rhyl Miniature Railway
Ribble Steam Railway
Ripon and District Light Railway
Riviera Trains
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
Rother Valley Railway
Royal Deeside Railway
Royal Gunpowder Mills (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
The Royal Scotsman
Rushden, Higham and Wellingborough Railway
Rutland Railway Museum to Ashwell Station (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Saltburn Cliff Lift
Saltburn Miniature Railway
Scottish Industrial Railway Centre (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Seaton and District Electric Tramway
Severn Valley Railway
Sherwood Forest Theme Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Shipley Glen Tramway
Sittingbourne and Kemsley Light Railway
Snibston Colliery Railway
Snowdon Mountain Railway
Somerset and Dorset Railway (Midsomer Norton)
South Cliff Railway (Scarborough)
South Devon Railway
South Tynedale Railway
Southend Cliff Railway
Southend Pier Railway
Spa Cliff Lift
Spa Valley Railway
St Nicholas Cliff Lift
Stainmore Railway
Steam, the Museum of the Great Western Railway (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Steeple Grange Light Railway
Strathspey Railway
Stephenson Railway Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Stevington and Turvey Light Railway
Strumpshaw Steam Railway Museum (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
The Stone Line
Summerlee Heritage Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Swanage Railway (Purbeck Line)
Swansea Vale Railway
Swindon and Cricklade Railway
Talyllyn Railway Co
Tanfield Railway
Teifi Valley Railway
Telford Steam Railway
Thorpe Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Threlkeld Quarry Railway
Tyseley Locomotive Works (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Vale of Glamorgan Railway
Vale of Rheidol Railway
Valley International Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Volk’s Electric Railway
Weardale Railway
Welsh Highland Heritage Railway
Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
Wensleydale Railway
West Cliff Railway (Bournemouth)
West Hill Cliff Railway (Hastings)
West Lancashire Light Railway
West Midlands Safari Leisure Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
West Somerset Railway
Whipsnade Wild Animal Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Wicksteed Park (i.e. rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Windmill Animal Farm Railway (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Wirral Tramway / Birkenhead Heritage Tramway
Woburn Safari Park (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Yaxham Light Railway
Yeovil Railway Centre (rail vehicle tracks within its grounds)
Yorkshire Wolds Railway