The Rail Safety and Standards Board Podcast

Signals passed at danger: reducing railway risk

May 28, 2020 Trevor Parkin, Chris Harrison Season 1 Episode 2
The Rail Safety and Standards Board Podcast
Signals passed at danger: reducing railway risk
Show Notes

Trevor Parkin of East Midlands Railway and Chris Harrison of RSSB talk about what the rail industry is doing to reduce the number of signals passed at danger, and so the likelihood of a potentially fatal train accident.

01:25 About Trevor Parkin.

02:10 About Chris Harrison.

02:35 SPADs in the 1990s and the changes made since.

03:53 The Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS).

06:07 Optimising the safety benefit of TPWS.

07:59 The Red Aspect Approaches to Signals (RAATS) Tool.

12:32 How to reduce SPAD numbers—the strategy.

14:50 About the SPAD Risk Subgroup.

18:05 Industry challenges for the RAATS Tool.

22:03 Getting train operators to use RAATS.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

SPAD Good Practice Guide  https://www.rssb.co.uk/Insights-and-News/Key-Industry-Topics/SPAD-Good-Practice-Guide 

SPAD Risk Subgroup  https://www.rssb.co.uk/Learn-and-Connect/Groups-and-Committees/Safety/SSRG/TARG/SPAD-RSG 

Red Aspect Approaches to Signals (RAATS) Toolkit  https://www.rssb.co.uk/Standards-and-Safety/Tools--Resources/Rail-Risk-Toolkit/Red-Aspect-Approaches-to-Signals-Toolkit

Other related resources:

SPAD Risk Ranking Tool  https://www.rssb.co.uk/Standards-and-Safety/Tools--Resources/Rail-Risk-Toolkit/SPAD-Risk-Ranking-Tool

Signals passed at danger – A summary of the rail industry's approach to risk reduction
https://www.sparkrail.org/Lists/Records/DispForm.aspx?ID=26755