Ensuring safety in a complex rail environment 

Rail hardware and software systems are inherently complex, with multiple layers of subsystems, products, and interfaces. Components come from diverse suppliers, and development lifecycles are shortening under growing global competitive pressure. New digital technologies add further complexity, making safety assurance increasingly challenging.  

Rail organizations must balance innovation with compliance, safety, and long-term asset performance. Whether introducing new systems or upgrading existing infrastructure, they need expert guidance to implement changes without compromising safety, availability, or regulatory compliance. 

Functional safety in rail 

The right support gives any organization a clear starting point or a benchmark for developing robust, safety-focused solutions. DNV’s knowledge and experience equip companies with a comprehensive toolkit built on domain expertise and a risk-based approach, helping safety-critical applications achieve consistent, measurable safety levels across every lifecycle stage, from design through operation and maintenance. 

We provide a full range of railway sector services, including: 

• Reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety (RAMS). 
• Safety processes in compliance with EN 5012x. 
• System integration, verification and validation. 
• Software assurance (EN 50128 and EN 50716). 
• Independent assessment of selected safety-critical systems. 
• Quality, design, and safety audits. 
• Quantitative risk assessment (QRA). 
• Hazard and operability study (HAZOP). 
• Failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA). 

Safety management systems 

The Safety management system (SMS) integrates organisational structures, accountabilities, policies, and procedures to systematically manage safety risks. It ensures that railway undertakings and infrastructure managers remain accountable for safety in their operations. An effective SMS includes continuous risk evaluation, performance monitoring, and measures to meet safety targets in line with regulatory or contractual requirements. 

DNV supports railway organizations by:  

• Developing and implementing SMS for railway undertakings (RU), infrastructure manager (IM), and entities in change of maintenance (ECM). 
• Conducting safety culture assessments and designing improvement programmes. 
• Implementing technology to streamline SMS documentation, monitoring, and reporting ensuring compliance and driving continual improvement. 

Our Synergi Life software offers modules for incident management, risk assessment, and barrier management, helping to identify and mitigate risks effectively. It also enhances communication, training, and collaboration, fostering a strong safety culture across the organization.   

Incident investigation 

Incident and near-miss investigations are essential to understanding where systems may be falling short of their intended safety objectives. Effective investigations go beyond identifying immediate technical issues, they explore management system weaknesses and barrier failures. 

With decades of experience, DNV provides:  

• Root cause analysis of serious incidents. 
• Systematic cause analysis technique (SCAT) and Barrier-based SCAT (BSCAT) 
• Investigation services, including accident HAZOP, witness statements, and timeline reconstruction. 
• Fire and explosion analysis, with advanced mathematical modelling. Laboratory testing and analysis of materials at multiple locations including at Spadeadam, UK and Singapore.  
• Training and methodology development for investigation teams.