01374307

Component

The European Union’s aspiration for railway systems that are interoperable across Europe is driven by the need to service a market that is open within and across industrial sectors and national boundaries. This in turn requires that the technologies and operational procedures that underpin the railway systems facilitate not only interoperability but also enhancement of safety, capacity and efficiency. The European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is designed to enable interoperability through the use of one unique signalling system as opposed to conventional signalling systems. However, the introduction of ERTMS must be undertaken to facilitate the European wide ambition to reduce risk on the railways. This paper addresses the issues relevant to the safe introduction of ERTMS into the European railways systems, with a focus on the technical and procedural challenges of moving from conventional signalling to ERTMS. Existing literature, augmented with a targeted survey of subject matter experts, are used for a critical appraisal of safety considerations across Europe. Differences and variations across networks and countries are identified, and used to determine the significant safety issues to be addressed to enable the safe introduction of ERTMS. Finally, generic observations are made on the factors that impact safety as a result of the introduction of new technologies and procedures into existing railway systems.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AR070 Railroad Operational Safety

01362476

12-1649

English

21p

2012

Transportation Research Board 91st Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Maps; References; Tables

Interoperability; Railroad safety; Railroad signaling; Railroad transportation

European Railway Traffic Management System

European Union countries

Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; I85: Safety Devices used in Transport Infrastructure

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2012 Paper #12-1649

TRIS, TRB

Feb 8 2012 5:04PM