1. Licensing
  2. Membership
  3. Qualifications & Careers
  4. Publications & Resources
  5. Get Involved
    Techniques at the forefront of safety and their application to railway signalling
    On 16 June, Dr Yuji Harao's video lecture is available for viewing via our Vimeo video channel
    Click title above for full details
  6. News
  1. Licensing
  2. Membership
  3. Qualifications & Careers
  4. Publications & Resources
  5. Get Involved
    Techniques at the forefront of safety and their application to railway signalling
    On 16 June, Dr Yuji Harao's video lecture is available for viewing via our Vimeo video channel
    Click title above for full details
  6. News

Coronavirus / COVID-19

Please bookmark this page which will be updated regularly with the latest information

The IRSE takes the threat of Coronavirus and COVID-19 very seriously and is committed to keeping members and staff as safe as possible at all times. We recommend that international members follow the advice provided by their local governments. 

In the UK, we are monitoring the situation closely and following recommendations as set out by the UK Government.

The current public health crisis will inevitably affect business as usual and has impacted our programme of events and visits; there will also be an impact on our licensing scheme operations. We are working on an appropriate and measured response, with the health and wellbeing of our staff and members as an absolute priority.  
Further information will be included in our April eBulletin.

Our London office

In line with UK government advice, our London offices are now closed with all staff working from home.

  • With no staff in our London office, responding to members will take longer than usual. We appreciate your patience at this time.
  • Please contact the office staff by email in the first instance.
  • Please see our contacts webpage for appropriate email addresses. 
  • Members are unable to visit the offices at Birdcage Walk at the present time.
  • If you were intending to attend a meeting in the near future at Birdcage Walk, please contact your meeting organiser to confirm what alternative arrangements have been made – some meetings are being postponed, others are being held via video conferencing.

Events

In light of government guidelines in the UK, no face-to-face events are taking place.  We will keep members informed of such events on this site.  We encourage all international sections to comply with the advice from their respective governments and act accordingly. Event organisers should contact the head office team so that this site can be kept up to date with the latest information for members.

Online content

A wealth of content is available on this website including licensing documentation, a range conference papers, Presidential Lectures, seminars and workshops. Some content requires membership login.

Creating content remotely

During the current COVID-19 / Coronavirus public health crisis, organisations are turning increasingly to video as a technology to allow ideas to be shared safely. Sharing experience to support our colleagues is central to the Institution’s culture.

Video is an important part of the IRSE’s communications toolkit and we understand that keynote speakers unable to present their papers or presentations may wish to use readily available technology to share this content with our membership via the Institution’s website.  

Many of you may also want to create interesting content around your own area of expertise to share with the wider member community and we are happy to facilitate this where possible.

Content to engage and inform members is particularly welcome at this time when many of us find ourselves working remotely, or isolated in line with advice from our respective governments.

This brief guide is designed to help you create content using your own equipment. Raw footage and presentations can be shared with the Institution using services like WeTransfer and sent to our production team.

Government Advice

All members should follow the advice provided by their local government. In the UK, extensive resources are available online on the UK government website here which should be considered the definitive guidance for members in this country. General advice about good hand hygiene is being encouraged in all jurisdictions.  In the UK, it is suggested that people work from home where possible and remain in their homes, except for:

  • one form of exercise per day, alone or with another member of your household
  • for medical emergencies
  • for the purchase of essential food and drink supplies, as infrequently as possible.
  • to travel to work if that work cannot be done at home

Working from Home

Whilst many of our licence holders and members continue to work trackside and in equipment rooms, others are now working remotely.  Some interesting reading and ideas around successful home working from engineering colleagues working in the Built Environment sector are available here.

Social Distancing

Social distancing is an essential component of slowing the spread of the Coronavirus.  Advice from the UK government recommends a distance of at least 2 metres (6.56 feet) should be maintained between you and other people who are not from your household.  It is particularly important to remember to maintain this distance when queueing or paying for goods at pharmacies and supermarkets.  Recommendations from retailers include only one shopper at a time placing goods on supermarket conveyor belts and maintaining distance as best as practicable when paying counter staff for goods.

Wash your hands immediately when returning home from outside.