Providing for Safety in Rail Megaprojects

WSP Authors

• Dr. Mikela Chatzimichailidou, Systems Assurance Engineer, United Kingdom
• Ross Dunsford, Systems Assurance Engineer, United Kingdom

The safety of workers, the public, passengers and lineside neighbours is at the heart of every decision taken during the lifecycles of rail projects. The increasing complexity of these projects necessitates a systems integration (SI) approach to properly address both the technical and human factors that affect safety.

To achieve optimal safety of the whole operating system, SI identifies the safety requirements at every level of a project and at each step, starting from initial design to delivery and maintenance. SI also considers the factors that advance or potentially weaken the safety of the whole operating system.