Institution of Railway Operators

Institution of Railway Operators

Formation	2000[1]
Founders	Gordon Petitt, Terry Worrall, Richard Morris, Jim Summers
Type	Railway Operations Professional Association
Professional title	Railway Operations Professional
Headquarters	The Moat House, 133 Newport Road, Stafford, ST16 2EZ[2]
Region served	Worldwide
Services	Professional Accreditation, Education & Development, Library
Membership	8800+ (June 2017)
Key people	Howard Smith, Chair[3] Fiona Tordoff, CEO[4]
Website	railwayoperators.co.uk

The Institution of Railway Operators, known more usually as the IRO was launched in 2000, is an international organisation, active throughout the world. It is the professional body for all those engaged or interested in railway operations and its allied disciplines. It exists for its members and the rail industry as a whole.^[5][6]

Corporate member companies[]

Most of the current train and freight operating companies in the UK fall into this category. Also included is the Heritage Railway Association.^[7]

Local sections[]

The IRO has a number of local sections in a number of countries. Internationally, there are sections in:

• Australia^[8][9]
• Middle East^[10]
• South Africa^[11]
• United Kingdom^[12]

In the U.K.:

• Ireland^[13]
• Midlands^[14]
• North East^[15]
• North West & Wales^[16]
• Scotland^[17]
• South East^[18]
• South West^[19]

There is also a Young Operators section specialised for young people working on the national network and the Railway Engineers Forum (REF) which is a multi-disciplinary body drawn from Professional Institutions with strong railway interests.^[20]

Membership grades[]

Membership grade is dependent on the individual member's experience and / or formal qualification.

• Affiliate Member
• Associate Member (awarded the post-nominal letters AIRO)
• Member (awarded the post-nominal letters MIRO)
• Fellow (awarded the post-nominal letters FIRO)

Headquarters[]

The headquarters of the IRO is located in Stafford, West Midlands.^[21]

IRO Learning & Development[]

The IRO has its own section for learning and development, and provides a means of competence certification for personnel undertaking work in the railway operations sector. The IRO promotes Learning & Development through Continuing Professional Development, the Mentoring Scheme and Academic Courses. The IRO aims to provide a focus for raising standards through the use of Short Courses in a bespoke training portfolio and longer courses to educate Railway Operations Management to Certificate, Diploma and Degree level.^[22]

References[]

External links[]

• IRO website