Interviews

Remaining vigilant

Safety may have improved, but maintaining it in the face of whole-industry change is a challenge. RSSB’s director of policy, research and risk, Anson Jack, talks to RTM.

No single factor or improvement can be credited with the gradual but assured increase in safety standards and statistics on Britain’s railways, according to RSSB director of policy, research and risk Anson Jack – it is the result of a number of things in concert.

This includes investment in new rolling stock, the Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) to reduce SPAD (signals passed at danger) risk, as well as train operator initiatives to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls through better design of station bridges and walkways.

Jack warned: “We’re not saying that risk has gone away. It’s still the case that people get injured, especially at stations. There are a number of initiatives looking at if there’s anything further that can be done there.”

The RSSB is currently engaged in an analysis of these types of incidents at stations, looking at which groups of people tend to get injured and whether there are any shared circumstances or characteristics to identify and thus help them.

He explained: “We’re taking a forensic approach. The better we understand the nature of the events that lead to injuries, the better we can identify further interventions.”

Performing above expectations

In terms of SPAD risk, the baseline from which performance is measured was recently updated to 2006, instead of the previous 2001, to reflect the installation of TPWS by 2003, and the elimination of Mk 1 rolling stock by the middle of the decade. Using 2006 as the new benchmarks offers a “more current” indication of risk trends, the RSSB says.

The number of category A signals passed at danger for 2011 was 283, down from 306 in 2010.

The overall SPAD risk full further, from 86% of the 2006 baseline in 2010 to just 41% of the baseline in 2011.

Jack said: “[TPWS] is performing better than it was designed to; the level of risk was expected to come down by about 75% when the system was installed, but it’s actually come down by about 90%. I think that relates to training and competency management undertaken by each of the operators. They keep an eye on it, and so do we.

“If there is an increase in risk, then we highlight that and that usually leads to rebriefing and the consideration of whether further mechanical supports could be made available.”

Although TPWS, introduced from 2001, is a key factor in this huge reduction in risk, it will have to maintain its performance for longer than first expected, due to the delays in the implementation of ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) and associated in-cab signalling and communications.

Despite some positive moves, such as the pilot on the Cambrian line in Wales, it could now be “30 or 40 years” until it is introduced nationwide, Jack suggested, adding: “As a result the TPWS system will be in use for longer.”

As the equipment gets older, it becomes less reliable, so the RSSB has been looking to see if there are any upgrades or modifications to take account of that. Along with a significant replacement of existing rolling stock, and equipment that is more reliable and easier to monitor, this work is expected to lead to a further small reduction in SPAD risk.

Fatalities

The number of fatalities for 2011 is “very similar” to what it has been in recent years, Jack said, and added that there was no statistically significant variation in the amount of deaths caused by trespass or suicide.

Initiatives are nevertheless underway to minimise this safety risk. A large programme is being launched between Network Rail and the Samaritans, aimed at cutting the number of railway suicides by 20%.

“Suicide is a very difficult and sensitive subject to try to manage at all”, Jack said, as he discussed the various strategies in place. These include cooperation with the media to ensure reporting of such incidents is as responsible as possible, as high levels of publicity of such suicides has been associated with an increase in their overall number.

In locations where there has been more than one incident, telephones are available to call the Samaritans or posters to highlight the service to people in distress. Additionally, staff at these stations are receiving training in basic counselling and how to look out for people who show signs that they are inclined to commit suicide.

Jack commented: “Curing suicides is not something that the rail industry is responsible for or can realistically do. But mitigating the effects, discouraging people, is something the rail industry feels it can make some impact on.

“The real consequence that the railways see is delay to passenger trains and the real trauma that the drivers on the trains involved go through. Some never drive again and many need significant amounts of time off.”

Fatalities due to trespass is a “societal issue” Jack said, and added: “There are many places where people choose to put themselves at risk rather than going slightly longer routes over bridges or crossings.”

The risk mainly lies with people trying to get to places by taking dangerous shortcuts, and where there are high levels of this behaviour, the railway can then invest in better quality fences or a stricter attitude to prosecution to combat this.

Deliberately dangerous

Taking a harsher line with offenders is something that is also helping to reduce misuse, and therefore danger, at level crossings.

Level crossings remain a significant area of risk with a number of people in cars or on foot either willfully or inadvertently misusing crossings, putting themselves at risk. As Jack said: “Some of those lead to accidents and often those accidents involve fatalities.

“What can the industry do about it? Network Rail has a regular programme of risk assessment where they consider whether the number of trains or the number of vehicles going over level crossings has changed significantly. If it has gone up it might be justifiable to upgrade the level crossing; to put in barriers and in some cases to close the crossing and put in an over-bridge. Those measures can help to reduce the risk.”

Jack said he believes that around half of level crossing misuse is deliberate, with people driving around barriers, and this is something the industry is working to discourage. Campaigns such as International Level Crossing Awareness day, now a world-wide event, can help to raise awareness of the dangers of misuse.

The increase in co-operation between Network Rail, British Transport Police, the highway authorities and the Magistrates’ Association is helping target this problem more effectively and ensuring the criminal justice system takes a more serious attitude to transgressions.

Jack said: “You don’t want people to misuse crossings. But if they do and are seen to be prosecuted effectively – more than a slap on the wrist – that helps to deter people in the future.”

Network Rail has also included a “very substantial amount of money” in its Initial Industry Plan for CP5, 2014-2019, to upgrade many more level crossings, with a target of reducing this risk by 50%.

Factors for the future

While risk as a whole has been reduced, maintaining this level of safety is just as important for the rail industry. Jack stated: “Everyone needs to keep vigilant. The fact that no-one has been killed in a train accident in the last five years doesn’t mean that all risk has disappeared. We continue to have events, some of which could become more serious.

“The industry’s going through a fairly  significant period of change; franchises are changing, the relationship between Network Rail and the franchises is changing, they are getting closer together. All of those things should help continued improvement in safety but as you go through change there’s the risk of taking your eye off the ball.”

Jack said that so far, Network Rail and the train operating companies involved were managing potential risk professionally, by seeking support from organisations such as the RSSB and independent safety assessors to identify the sorts of risks that could arise.

The other challenge, one with the highest profile for the industry, is to reduce overall running costs, as set out by the McNulty review, which the Government is set to formally respond to with a DfT command paper this year. Jack believed that most people working in rail had accepted that action must be taken to reduce costs.

He concluded: “It’s traditionally described that you have to trade off between profitability and safety, but we don’t see it that way. A reliable railway running on time is a low-cost railway.

“The most expensive thing you can do is to have an accident and the cheapest thing you can do is to run very efficiently, punctually and reliably – and that delivers improved safety.” 

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