Study on Hazard Identification for a Mountain Railway System

In Korea, a mountain railway system is being developed to solve the difficulties of residents living in the mountain areas due to the restriction of traffic by heavy snow and ice in winter. In this study, the hazard identification which is customized to the developing mountain railway system was conducted by considering the characteristics of the developing system, past accident cases of the mountain trains of the rack&pinion type and trams in the world, and risk factors defined in the ordinary railway system. Predictable accidents during mountain railway operation were classified into five types of accidents: collision, derailment, fire, casualty, and crossing/competitive section accidents. Hazardous events and hazards were derived for each accident. Moreover, specific hazards were derived for each hazard. The hazards of the mountain railway system identified in this study can be used as basic data for preliminary hazard analysis and establishment of safety management measures for mountain railway systems in the future.