High speed rail: Migration of project system safety to operational system safety

Project managers need to recognize the need for system safety in their overall programme. They are obligated to build different system safety elements as identified into their project schedules; ensure that risks specific to operational phase are considered by taking into account project requirements, time constraints and cost; and make provision for implementation of a safety management system by appropriate system safety functionaries in the name of building a high speed rail. However the key aspects and demarcation of a project phase system safety management are a far cry from those encountered during the operational phase of a project being that the project team may not be conversant with the blow-by-blow operational requirements that are put together in order to kick off the operations. This paper describes the process adopted in a high speed rail corporation (thereinafter referred to as the Corporation) in Taiwan so as to demonstrate how the migration of project system safety on the part of track works with the system assurance service rendered by Trackwork Contractors during the project phase to operational system safety was performed.