Key Concepts in the Development of a Transit Safety Management System

The year 2011 saw a number of high profile incidents involving railways in China. While every railway is unique, there are some universal concepts in modern safety management. This paper aims to share some of the basic concepts involved in the development of a modern railway throughout its life cycle. The key concepts are: safety management as sound investment, top down approach, safety is everybody's responsibility, risk-based allocation of safety resources, and continuous improvement.