A Study on Optimal Railway Operation Safety Alternatives Selection Using the FRAM Model for DSC-Based Risk Management

Railway accidents can lead to significant human casualties and economic losses, emphasizing the continuous importance of safety management. To ensure the safe operation of railway systems, it is essential to predict risks, monitor and manage key safety indicators in real-time, and implement appropriate maintenance measures as needed. Recently, various digitalized solutions have been developed to address these challenges, and ongoing research continues to explore more advanced and effective technologies and methods. This study proposes a method for identifying key monitoring factors for optimal system safety in railway operations using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) model. To establish a Digital Safety Chain (DSC)-based risk assessment framework, existing Event Sequence Diagram (ESD) scenarios were analyzed to identify target functions and related hazards. The FRAM model was then employed to determine the optimal contributing factors, and the effectiveness of the proposed optimal railway operation safety alternatives was validated through simulation.