Association of Train Operating Companies

The Association of Train Operating Companies ( ATOC, in German: Association of Railway Company ) is an association representing the interests of 23 British railway companies. These operate passenger services on the privatized railway network of the United Kingdom. The Association owns the trademark rights to National Rail and is also responsible for issuing subscriptions and licensing of travel agencies with rail travel offers responsible.

Activities

ATOC moved beyond even the National Routeing Guide, which lists the allowed paths texts for normal price tickets to the UK national rate (and thus in the broadest sense of the previously unreleased Tfv 603 of Deutsche Bahn equivalent ), and makes it available online.

The subsidiary Rail Settlement Plan (RSP ) distributes the income from the sale of tickets through the electronic ORCATS system ( Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services) and organized jointly with Network Rail, the drawing up timetables throughout the rail network. Thus, the railway companies confront the passengers on uniform. RSP also sets out guidelines on the format and readability of electronic tickets and rail cards.

History

In the course of rail privatization in Britain, the ATOC was founded in 1993 to maintain the set up for the state railway times common tariff system.

A similar organization existed since the mid 19th century to the nationalization of all British railways in 1948, the Railway Clearing House.

In 2013, the responsibility for press and communication policy on the Rail Delivery Group went through a joint working group of ATOC and Network Rail.