The Independent Rail Consultancy Group (IRCG) is a networking group of UK rail industry professionals which specialises in creating small, focussed teams to meet the needs of particular projects.

Founded in 2003 by five people who had held senior positions in the rail industry, there are now over 20 associate consultants and links have been established with other, similar, consortia to ensure a full range of public transport disciplines can be made available to the client organisation.

The group provides support for organisations having a rail transport development brief but which lack the necessary project team resources. IRCG offers a comprehensive range of public transport management disciplines and specialisms which embrace:

• Rail Network Development
• Rail Operations
• Passenger Business Management
• Freight Business Management
• Rolling Stock Fleet Operations & Engineering
• Infrastructure Engineering
• Rail Franchise Development
• Business Wide Rail Industry Skills
• Experience with Other Transport Modes

Where a particular expertise is not immediately available within IRCG we have a wide network of contacts which enable us to ensure that appropriate skills are available to meet a client's individual needs.

IRCG consultants have extensive personal experience of planning, operating and maintaining the railways and can make a vital contribution to the assessment, development and progress of rail proposals, feasibility studies and schemes. The benefits of new technologies and processes are fully utilised and incorporated into our analysis and solutions formulation. We value and recognise the importance of peer review by group members which is integrated into the structure and working practices of IRCG.

Since IRCG'S inception in 2003 a number of contracts have been awarded to teams formed of IRCG members, all of which have been concluded to the complete satisfaction of the client organisations. Projects have ranged from major, high profile schemes to local transport initiatives and in each case have been concluded within budget and to agreed time scale. Clients have included Strathclyde Partnership for Transport, SEStrans, The North East Assembly, Nexus, Lincolnshire County Council, Transport 2000, The Countryside Agency and the Institute for European Environmental Policy in association with the Strategic Rail Authority.