Dependability Management Framework and System Model for Railway Improvements

This paper presents a dependability management framework and a system model for railways based on related regulations and standards. The applied approach is based on a literature review in databases for regulations, standards, and scientific publications. The result is a dependability management framework of regulations and standards that should be applied to fulfil requirements related to railway infrastructure availability throughout its life cycle. The dependability framework is supported by a generic rail system model, which summarises requirements, functions, characteristics, capabilities and performance. The framework and model are mainly exemplified with results from the Reality lab digital railway at Trafikverket (the Swedish transport administration). Besides compliance with existing regulations, the application of standards supports fulfilment of requirements related to internal control for authorities, i.e., effectiveness, productivity, and documentation. The proposed application of mentioned dependability standards should also support continuous asset management improvement according to the ISO 55000-series. The framework can also be used within research and development (R&D) projects to support results that consider mandatory requirements and facilitate implementation.