Roylang
Member
There seems to be some confusion in this thread as to what safety means. I work in the aviation industry developing the rules and regulations that the airlines, controllers etc. have to adhere to. In principle the discussion is the same as for railways.
An acceptable level of safety will always be the minimum that must be achieved, be it for rail or air. This will be established by the regulatory authorities. If an organisation fails to achieve this, operations will not be permitted / sanctions imposed or, worse case, prosecutions brought.
Beyond that, inceased safety is a balance between risk and cost. Very few organisations, if any, can afford to implement the Rolls Royce safety solution, and even then, 100% safety would not be guaranteed. The only way to achieve that would be to cease operations. No service = no risk, and even then only once the everything has been returned to nature!
To return to the OP question. I believe every preserved railway will focus on achieving the regulatory acceptable level of safety*. After that it will be for each to assess its risks, income etc. and determine the balance that is right for it.
Roy
* Different types of operation will bring different requirements. E.g. one train in service v mutiple services on a single line with passing points. Having public crossing point v having none.
An acceptable level of safety will always be the minimum that must be achieved, be it for rail or air. This will be established by the regulatory authorities. If an organisation fails to achieve this, operations will not be permitted / sanctions imposed or, worse case, prosecutions brought.
Beyond that, inceased safety is a balance between risk and cost. Very few organisations, if any, can afford to implement the Rolls Royce safety solution, and even then, 100% safety would not be guaranteed. The only way to achieve that would be to cease operations. No service = no risk, and even then only once the everything has been returned to nature!
To return to the OP question. I believe every preserved railway will focus on achieving the regulatory acceptable level of safety*. After that it will be for each to assess its risks, income etc. and determine the balance that is right for it.
Roy
* Different types of operation will bring different requirements. E.g. one train in service v mutiple services on a single line with passing points. Having public crossing point v having none.
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