What is a PICOP briefing, and what is its primary purpose?

A PICOP briefing is the briefing given by the Person in Charge of the Possession (PICOP) to the engineering supervisors who will run work sites inside a railway possession. It confirms the possession limits, how the line is protected, where each work site will be, and how engineering trains, plant and level crossings will be managed, so every work site starts from the same, safe arrangements.

Key facts

• PICOP stands for Person in Charge of the Possession. The PICOP controls the whole possession and authorises engineering train and plant movements anywhere in it outside a work site.
• Engineering supervisors (ES) each control one work site inside the possession. They are the people the PICOP briefs.
• Each ES then briefs every Controller of Site Safety (COSS) working in their work site, and each COSS signs the Work-site Certificate (RT3199) before setting up their safe system of work.
• The duties are set out in the Rule Book: module T3 (Possession of a running line for engineering work) and handbooks HB11 (duties of the PICOP) and HB12 (duties of the ES), published by RSSB.
• From 5 December 2026, updated Rule Book rules allow engineering controls as an alternative to detonator protection for possessions.

What is a railway possession?

A possession is a planned closure of a running line so that engineering work can take place safely, with normal train services kept out of the section. Possessions are planned well in advance and published to the industry, for example in the Weekly Operating Notice. Possession planning decides what work will happen, where, and in what order.

Who does the PICOP brief, and who briefs everyone else?

Safety information passes down a clear chain, so each person is briefed by the person directly responsible for their part of the possession:

1. The signaller and the PICOP agree the possession, and the line is protected at each end.
2. The PICOP briefs each engineering supervisor on the possession arrangements and authorises them to set up their work site.
3. Each engineering supervisor briefs each COSS in their work site, agreeing the limits of their site of work, the nature of the work and the safe system of work they will use.
4. Each COSS briefs their work group before work starts.

Lookouts and other members of a work group are not usually at the PICOP briefing itself. They are briefed by their COSS, who has been briefed by the ES.

What does a PICOP briefing cover?

• The possession: its reference, the lines and limits, and the times it is planned to start and finish.
• Protection: how the ends of the possession are protected. Under the current rules this uses signals and detonator protection; from December 2026 engineering controls may be used instead.
• Work sites: the line each ES will work on and the exact position of each work-site marker board.
• Engineering trains and on-track plant: which movements are planned and who authorises them. Movements outside a work site are authorised by the PICOP; inside a work site, by the ES.
• Level crossings: the arrangements for every level crossing inside a work site. The ES must not allow any work or movement that affects a crossing until the PICOP has made those arrangements.
• Isolations: where the line is electrified, how and when the power will be isolated and made safe.

The ES records the details on their Work-site Certificate (RT3199), which is the written record of what was agreed.

Why does the PICOP briefing matter?

A possession can contain several work sites, engineering trains and different contractors working at the same time. The PICOP briefing is how everyone in charge of a work site gets the same information about limits, protection and train movements before anyone goes on the track. Getting it right protects the workforce, and it keeps the possession on programme so the line can be handed back to traffic on time.

What is changing in December 2026?

RSSB has published updated Rule Book handbooks that come into force on 5 December 2026. They:

• allow engineering controls as an alternative to detonator protection for possessions, with rules for possessions with and without engineering controls;
• introduce transient work sites, a portion of line between two established work sites, as the only way work can take place outside a work site.

Anyone giving or receiving PICOP and work-site briefings should check which rules apply on the date of the possession.

Possession management at RSS Infrastructure

Our Possession Management team, led by Head of Rail Operations John Byrne, supports possessions from planning to handback. This includes pre-possession planning and PICOP briefings, possession documentation and safe work packs, and people for the possession itself: Engineering Supervisors, Controllers of Site Safety, level crossing attendants, points operators, protection controllers and isolation staff.

Sources

• RSSB: GERT8000-T3 – Possession of a running line for engineering work
• RSSB: GERT8000-HB11 – Duties of the person in charge of the possession (PICOP)
• RSSB: GERT8000-HB12 – Duties of the engineering supervisor (ES) in a possession

This article is a general guide. On the railway, always follow the Rule Book, your briefing and your company’s procedures.