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Abstract
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To date, the railway application standards EN 50126 ff series - being transferred to international IEC level - have reached a mature state and are implemented in practically every new rail technology project. These standards do not only apply to heavy rail systems - as their heading 'Railway applications' may imply, but also to light rail and urban mass transportation including metro and people mover systems. The standard 50126 requires a "Safety Plan", covering - beyond others - planning for Independent Safety Assessment.
The Independent Safety Assessor's role is to verify, that the required level of safety and quality is achieved by all actors concerned to ensure a safe implementation of the project to the required safety standards. It is the goal of an Independent Safety Assessment to put the Safety Authority into a position to grant the allowance for operations (licensing) after the finalisation of all necessary evaluations, examinations, analyses, inspections, tests, etc. The license can be issued for single modes or sub-modes of operation.
Independent Safety Assessment is to the clear benefit of all parties involved. Manufacturers and System Suppliers can take credit of the third party opinion on their supply and of the application of cross-acceptance (with the re-use of assessor generic product/generic application certificates), Operators are given increased confidence independent from potential supplier constraints and the responsible Safety Authorities can limit their resources and activities to the legal responsibility.
A description of proven assessment processes and methodologies and selected examples of complex railway systems - including driverless operation and new technologies - underline these benefits. |