When Software Goes Wrong—Digital Asset Integrity on the Railway

In this podcast Dr Emma Taylor, former rocket scientist and chartered mechanical engineer, talks about how the changing railway and increasing number of digital components will start to blur the lines between rolling stock and infrastructure design and build. And how it will be increasingly beneficial to have software engineers and cyber security specialists in teams.

Emma has been talking to stakeholders across the rail industry about what keeps them awake at night. And it turns out to be the unknown unknowns, the gaps in knowledge and understanding about how digital components work and interact.

01:20 About Dr Emma Taylor.

03:38 How digital technologies will affect the rolling stock/infrastructure interface.

04:40 LHSBR priority areas and the importance of digital competencies.

05:17 About the Asset Integrity Group.

05:58 What keeps asset managers awake at night?

07:10 The need to describe whole systems as more than just their physical components.

08:18 Understanding what could go wrong and why

09:45 Filling the gaps with good quality information and data.

11:23 Key messages for asset integrity groups.

13:40 Why we need to include new experience and knowledge around the digital railway.

17:01 Why it needs to be okay to say we don't know.

 Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Asset Integrity Group https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/groups-and-committees/safety/ssrg/aig 

In LHSBR:

Rolling Stock Asset Integrity: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/rolling-stock-asset-integrity 

Infrastructure Asset Integrity: https://www.rssb.co.uk/safety-and-health/leading-health-and-safety-on-britains-railway/infrastructure-asset-integrity 

Blogs:

Asset integrity – let's keep listening (Emma Taylor): https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/Asset-integrity-lets-keep-listening

Asset integrity – eyes everywhere (Catherine Baker): https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/Asset-integrity---eyes-everywhere 

Asset integrity – it’s not all in the data (Greg Morse): https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/Asset-integrity---its-not-all-in-the-data 

Asset Integrity – Lessons from Hatfield (George Bearfield): https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/insights-and-news/blogs/asset-integrity-lessons-from-hatfield