Templates or custom cycles
for any role.
Included as standard
Competency cycles that drive assessment and keep competence current
Our competency engine is the most powerful and complex CMS built for rail, with inbuilt strict conditional rules, communications, and powerful add-ons to cater for your needs, ensuring everything stays in one system rather than spread across different platforms, all powered by Rail Intel, a company with extensive operational experience in rail.
Build a cycle from a template or from scratch
Cycle Builder walks through the cycle in four steps: method, details, criteria and events. Start from a ready-made framework or build a custom cycle for a role your operation defines itself.
Competency criteria
attached to each cycle.
Scheduled assessment events
across the cycle period.
Two-year driver cycles and one-year PTS
supported as standard.
cms.railintel.co.uk/cycle-builder
Cycle Builder
Step 1 of 4 — choose template or custom.
How do you want to build this cycle?
Pick a starting point. You can change this later by going back a step.
Name your cycle
Give it a clear title and how long it should run (templates may set these for you later).
Total duration: 24 months
Add competency criteria
Criteria are grouped into two lists: Demonstrate and Explain.
Drop criteria here.
Drop criteria here.
Template library
Fixed = use as-is · Editable = customise.
Schedule assessment events
Add each assessment window within the 24-month cycle. You need at least one event to save.
Title is required
Interactive preview — hover to pause, or jump between steps.
Live cycles on the employee record
Once assigned, a cycle is live on the employee record with its start and expiry. Only one live cycle of a given type is allowed at a time, so the record cannot drift into ambiguity. Closing a cycle moves it to closed cycles and keeps the history.
Continuous cycles are supported for competencies that renew rather than end, and a CDP can carry over between cycles so an open development point is not lost at the boundary.
cms.railintel.co.uk/employees/cycles
NOT SAFE TO WORK — Mandatory competency expired.
Live cycles
Expiry is 2 years for train driver cycles, 1 year for PTS. Only live assignments accept new assessments.
Closing a cycle moves it to Closed Cycles and keeps the full history on the record.
| Cycle | Start | Expiry | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| ML Driver v3 | 18-07-2026 | 18-07-2028 |
Closed cycles
| Cycle | Closed by | Action |
|---|---|---|
| No closed cycles yet. | ||
ML Driver v3 · Assessment record
Cycle event breakdown
- CDP MONITORING Monitoring Review
- ASSESSMENT PRA
- ASSESSMENT OTDR
4%covered
19 covered · 476 left
Monitoring Review CDP MONITORING
Completed 23-07-2026 13:00 · Andy Hill
PRA ASSESSMENT
Duration 47:07 · Andy Hill
Completed
8 / 495 criteria
2 warnings
2 errors
OTDR ASSESSMENT
Opened by Andy Hill · 11 / 495 criteria
Continuous cycle · Assessment record
Cycle event breakdown
- ASSESSMENT PRA · 11-08 to 11-09
- ASSESSMENT OTDR · 11-09 to 11-10
0%covered
0 covered · 2 left
pra ASSESSMENT
11-08-2026 → 11-09-2026
0 / 2 criteria
2 left
otdr ASSESSMENT
11-09-2026 → 11-10-2026
Continue continuous cycle
ML Driver v3
This period will be closed and listed under Closed Cycles. A new live period starts with the same assessment schedule from the day after expiry.
CDP monitoring carries over. Unfinished CDP monitoring events move into the new period. They do not block renewal.
- A live F1/F2 medical is required to renew.
- Assessment evidence and grades stay available from Closed Cycles.
Interactive preview — hover to pause, or jump between views.
Assessing in the field
Assessments are completed against structured criteria with observations recorded as they are made. Where an observation falls short, the criterion is flagged rather than silently passed, and the assessment can be started within its early window when operationally necessary.
cms.railintel.co.uk/assessments/otdr
Assessment event
OTDR assessment
Stay focused where safety matters
If you are in a driving cab, or any area where using a device could compromise safety, prefer observing and questioning first. Minimise typing until it is safe to do so.
Windscreen reflections
Switch to dark mode to reduce glare in the cab or tunnel. Dark mode is on — use the control at the top of the assessment window.
How to use a flag
Tap the flag on a tile after you observe or ask about an element. Return when safe to add notes or evidence, then clear the flag.
You cannot mark the assessment complete while any flags remain.
Assessment event
PRA assessment
Tap tiles to flag criteria for later — hover pauses autoplay.
The standards behind the cycle
Cycles are only as good as the standard behind them. Frameworks, grading scales and company timing standards are configured once and applied across every cycle you run.
cms.railintel.co.uk/settings/standards
Framework (competency cycles)
Manage cycles used as the company framework. Applied cycles become available when assigning to employees.
Next step — add at least one cycle from Cycle Builder to finish setup.
Applied cycles
- ML Driver v3
Your company cycles
- ML Driver v3
- Test Cycle
Grading scale
Choose the grading options that apply to your assessments. Nothing is selected by default — pick the grades you need, then save.
4 grades selected
Standard timings
Daylight and darkness minimums for trainees, rolling competence hours, and the shortest meaningful assessing session.
Trainee driving
Minimum daylight and darktime driving hours before competence can be signed off.
235Hrs daylight
40Hrs dark
Total minimum 275h 0m
Maintain competence
Minimum driving hours on a rolling months window to keep competence current.
4h/ 1 month
Total minimum 4h 0m
Minimum assessing time
Shortest session an assessor should spend to gather meaningful evidence.
30Min session
Total minimum 0h 30m
Interactive preview — toggle grades, save actions flash confirmation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a competency cycle in Rail Intel?
A competency cycle defines the standard, criteria and scheduled assessment events a role must complete, with start and expiry dates on the employee record.
Can assessments be completed in the cab?
Yes. Assessors record structured observations in the field, including Tunnel Mode for low-glare assessing in dark cabs.
Can an employee hold more than one live cycle of the same type?
No. Only one live cycle of a given type is allowed on the employee record at a time, so start and expiry stay unambiguous. Closing a cycle moves it to Closed Cycles before a new period can begin.
What happens to open development points when a cycle renews?
Continuous cycles renew rather than end, and unfinished CDP monitoring can carry into the next period so open development points are not lost at the boundary. Assessment evidence and grades remain available from Closed Cycles.
How do company standards apply across cycles?
Frameworks, grading scales and timing standards — including daylight, darkness and session minimums — are configured once as company standards and applied to every cycle that references them.