Making railways safer with big data and smarter technology

According to the rail industry’s independent safety body, Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), state-of-the-art risk monitoring technology could soon be used to pinpoint faster, targeted improvements to safety and reliability on Britain’s railways at the push of a button.

This technology (already applied in the oil and nuclear sectors) could provide safety managers with a real-time ‘intelligence console’ about incidents and rapid tactical analysis, automating parts of the existing paper trail. This would allow efficient board room decisions, based on clear analysis of the balance between cost, performance and safety, avoiding excessive, reactive responses but also quickly halting the breakdown in defences before serious consequences occur. 

The first step of this new data strategy has begun with a new Safety Management Intelligence System now up and running and being actively used by train operating companies. It will also become accessible via a mobile app allowing remote workforces to log details at the scene of an event.

“In Britain we’re envied for our progressive safety culture and ability to scrutinise the data to target investment. But we still rely too much on disparate legacy systems and approaches, leading to duplication and inconsistencies,” said Brian Tomlinson, Chair of RSSB’s cross-industry Data and Risk Strategy Group. “To take the next step, rail companies now want to work together to draw on RSSB’s capabilities to help it to take data and risk to the next level, to harness the best available technology and enrich and enhance greater collaboration and intelligence sharing.”

RSSB says that with no train accident fatalities in ten years, Britain’s railways are already highly regarded for their approach to data, analysis and evidence-based decision making. However, they now need to take advantage of more data and smarter systems if they’re to build on their excellent track record as well as retain high productivity and reliability, and continue to improve passenger and workforce safety across the system.