Risk-based approach to transport safety as part of the integrated safety of the railway transport
Objective: To describe the prospective risk-based approach to substantiation of transport safety measures as part of the integrated safety of the railway transport. Methods: The methods of risk assessment in the railway transport were applied in accordance with current international standards for managing a set of interrelated indicators of Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS) and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) throughout the life cycle of the railway transport systems and technical means. Results: Based on the current practice of managing the risks of safety violations in the railway transport using the tools of safety integrity (guaranteed) levels, a mechanism has been proposed to substantiate measures to ensure the transport safety, based on the need to regulate the level of acceptable risk associated with threats of acts of unlawful interference and to build models of violators. Seven options for the transport safety integrity (guaranteed) levels have been considered, depending on the possible severity of the consequences (damage), response time, the possibility of prevention (control), and the likelihood of an act of unlawful interference. Additional measures to ensure the transport safety are suggested for each level, while it is proposed to distribute the measures along three response paths to threats of acts of unlawful interference: proactive, timely, and emergency paths. Practical importance: The proposed risk-based approach to substantiation of transport safety measures as part of the integrated safety of the railway transport can be used in the future to assess the vulnerability of railroad facilities, as well as to develop transport safety plans for them.