The Railway Tenancy Manager

RAMS, Stakeholders and Safe Station Operations

Review | Authorise | Coordinate | Control | Escalate

A railway tenant may control a shop, office or commercial unit—but the surrounding station remains a live operational environment.

The Railway Tenancy Manager: RAMS, Stakeholders and Safe Station Operations is a comprehensive guide to managing commercial tenancies without compromising passenger safety, station operations or the railway’s controlled systems.

Written by Robert Porter, drawing on his experience managing tenancy and station operations across an 11-station South Western Railway network, the book connects property responsibilities with the practical realities of running a busy railway.

It explains how leases, station access arrangements, landlord consent, Network Rail asset requirements, operator procedures and local station instructions interact. Most importantly, it shows why commercial permission is not the same as operational authorisation.

A substantial section is devoted to risk assessments and method statements. Readers are shown how to interrogate RAMS rather than merely accept them: checking scope, sequence, site-specific hazards, passenger protection, competence, isolations, permits, emergency arrangements, change control and safe handback.

Practical RAMS warning signs include:

Documents copied from another location

Generic or incomplete work descriptions

Missing passenger and operational interfaces

Unverified electrical or mechanical isolations

Overreliance on PPE

Unrealistic emergency arrangements

Unclear supervision or stop-work authority

Missing accessible routes

No process for changing the method

Pressure to approve work because of commercial deadlines

Stakeholder chapters examine how productive working relationships are built with tenants, train operating companies, Network Rail, property teams, maintainers, contractors, BTP, emergency services, local authorities and regulators.

The fault-management section covers fire and life-safety systems, water leaks, electrical faults, structural defects, glazing, lifts, escalators, doors, shutters, drainage, contamination, CCTV, passenger information systems and recurring failures.

A four-level escalation framework distinguishes immediate danger from degraded safety controls, developing service defects and routine maintenance. Worked scenarios include a tenant water leak, failed fire shutter, late-night shop refit, blocked accessible route, recurring electrical trip, damaged ceiling, late RAMS submission and disputed asset ownership.

The book includes:

A detailed RAMS review checklist

Pre-start hold-point controls

Fault-escalation records

Stakeholder mapping tools

Tenant-induction frameworks

Reopening and handback checks

Meeting and relationship-management agendas

Ten worked operational scenarios

Harvard-style references

Practical management and assurance exercises

Suitable for:

Railway tenancy and commercial managers

Station managers and supervisors

Train operating company property teams

Network Rail and infrastructure stakeholders

Facilities and asset managers

Retail and station tenants

Project and contractor managers

Safety, compliance and assurance professionals

This is an independent management guide. It does not replace leases, station access conditions, company procedures, fire plans, permits, engineering standards or authorised operational control.

Commercial activity must fit the railway. Protect passengers first. Resolve ownership second.