ABSTRACT
Research in the UK rail industry has considered HF issues for several decades, but such analysis has not always been systematic and rail has been seen to lag behind domains where HF research is well established such as aviation, the process industries and the military. That said, since the early 1990s systematic programmes of fundamental and applied work in the UK and abroad have facilitated substantial growth in rail HF. A wide network of HF specialists, including in-house practitioners and supporters as well as external consultants and academic researchers, now bring their knowledge and experience to the rail industry. It is important to ensure that the various approaches contribute to a coherent stream of research, evaluation and practical guidance, but equally important is that the understanding developed in individual rail HF projects is achieved within the context of an integrated system.
