As part of its 2026 Work Programme, the UIC Africa Safety Task Force held two workshops, on 25 March and 6 May 2026, focused on railway risk assessment.
These meetings aimed to strengthen a harmonised and structured approach to risk management across African railways, in alignment with international and regional safety frameworks.
The sessions covered, among other things:
- An introduction to the European regulatory framework, primarily the CSM-RA under Regulation (EU) No 402/2013, as well as details of the HARMO COSMERA project, which aim to harmonise risk assessment practices in Europe and beyond.
- A presentation by ONCF (Morocco) on the mature and structured railway risk management system fully embedded in its Safety Management System (SMS). Risk management is a continuous process based on hazard identification, risk analysis and evaluation, and the implementation of control measures.
- An explanation of the operational railway risks along the Transgabonais line by SETRAG (Gabon), highlighting exposure to natural hazards (rain, landslides), track and rolling stock degradation, urban and forest intrusions, and human and environmental risks. These risks are assessed using a risk matrix combining probability and severity, and supported by incident statistics.
- The Common Safety Method on Risk Assessment (CSM RA), presented by South Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator, which provides a harmonised framework to manage risks linked to technical, operational and organisational changes.
- A detailed CAMRAIL case study from Cameroon, illustrating a legally grounded and data driven risk assessment process based on severity and frequency, risk mapping, and a decision-oriented risk matrix.
Overall, these two workshops confirm that risk assessment is a key lever for continuous improvement, supporting safer railway operations and increased cooperation among African rail networks.
The work of the Africa Safety Task Force will continue in 2026 with a focus on:
- Railways’ resilience and climate change adaptation
- Monitoring systems: key to railway safety
UIC is delighted to continue working on these issues, which we hope will help to improve operations and safety in the region over the coming years.
