New standard helps software reliability, improves safety, and saves £8.2m
Software advances have transformed the rail industry, enabling functions previously impossible with older systems. However, this has introduced new hazards and potential service disruptions.
An incident in 2017 highlighted these risks when software faults contributed to a loss of vital signalling data. This made clear the industry’s urgent need for mandatory safety assurance procedures for high-integrity software-based systems, especially for the role of the client.
RSSB sought to address this issue through the creation of a new standard, RIS-0745- CCS Client Safety Assurance of High Integrity Software-Based Systems for Railway Applications.
RSSB helped develop a crucial safety standard for integrating advanced software systems into the rail sector.
The new standard offers clear guidelines for organisations responsible for assuring the safety of these software systems. It outlines the activities undertaken as part of managing safety during their development, installation, and maintenance.
Improving on earlier guidelines, the standard clarifies the role of client organisations as part of the safety management of software-based systems. It has absorbed and expanded key principles from prior guidance on handling high-integrity software systems for railway applications.
RSSB's new standard has not only improved safety and reliability but also contributed an estimated net benefit of £8.2m to the rail industry over five years.
The introduction of this standard has been instrumental in significantly reducing the number of incidents where software performance has been a causal factor. This improvement in safety and reliability has had tangible benefits, with the industry reaping significant financial rewards as a result. Primarily designed for organisations procuring and using high-integrity software-based systems in railway applications, the standard is beneficial throughout the lifecycle of these systems and remains pertinent even with changes in organisational ownership.
This initiative has been key in controlling software-related risks in the industry.