Safety when implementing digital Technology and Infrastructure.

Abstract

Increasing critical infrastructure (CI) resilience is a European strategy to enhance safety and security. A digital radio standard for the rail have been developed by The International Union of Railways (UIC) - The Global System for Mo-bile Communication in Railways (GSM-R). In Norway, GSM-R was implemented on the total rail network in the pe-riod 2003 – 2007. The system replaced all existing analogue communication systems and should also meet future re-quirements regarding radio communication. Implementation of the new CI digital platform is related to communication between train leaders at control centers and train drivers, especially regarding train conveyance, incidents and emergencies. Main arguments for implement-ing the GSM-R project was that it would support safe and efficient rail communication. In Norway several major public investments are evaluated. The Concept Research Program have developed a model for evaluating of long-term effects of CI projects. This paper present evaluation of the implementation of GSM-R using this model. The evaluation model comprises goal achievement (results, effects and society) and unintended effects, in addition to relevance, sustainability and so-cio-economic value. The study is based on documentation analysis and interviews of key stakeholders. The results are discussed considering resilience engineering perspectives on safety and measurement guidelines.