As South Africa accelerates efforts to revitalise the rail sector and re-establish rail transport as a catalyst for economic growth, ensuring a strong safety culture has become increasingly important. In response, the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) and the University of Johannesburg’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS-Africa) have partnered on a research project that aims to strengthen safety performance, support sustainable rail operations and enhance regulatory oversight across the industry.
The Rail Safety Culture Baseline Study, scheduled for implementation during the 2026/27 financial year, seeks to assess the current state of safety culture across South African rail operators. The study will explore the key determinants, barriers and organisational factors that shape safety outcomes across the rail industry. It will also establish the sector’s first comprehensive benchmark for assessing and measuring safety culture performance
The significance of the research extends beyond regulatory compliance. As government and industry invest in rebuilding rail infrastructure, increasing freight volumes and improving passenger rail services, the sector faces the challenge of ensuring that operational safety keeps pace with infrastructure modernisation. The RSR has identified a growing link between rail occurrences and factors such as leadership decision-making, human error, rule violations, negligence and weaknesses in operational and maintenance practices. Understanding these underlying behavioural and organisational drivers is essential to reducing incidents and improving overall system reliability
According to the RSR, safety culture is recognised in the Safety Management System and Safety Management System Report Determination of 2025 as a critical component of everyday rail operations. However, the regulator notes that a full appreciation and institutionalisation of safety culture as a shared organisational value remains limited across the industry. The proposed research therefore aims to bridge this gap by providing evidence-based insights into how safety culture can be effectively embedded within rail organisations
One of the project’s most important deliverables will be the development of a Baseline Rail Safety Culture Index Tool. This index will enable the RSR and industry stakeholders to measure safety culture maturity, track improvements over time and identify areas requiring targeted intervention. Additional outcomes include a benchmark report, a Safety Culture Framework for the RSR and policy recommendations that can inform future regulatory oversight and industry programmes.
The study will utilise a mixed-method research approach, including desktop analysis, industry surveys, interviews and focus groups, ensuring a holistic understanding of safety culture across the rail environment and advanced analytical tools such will be used to support the research.
Importantly, the findings are expected to support the creation of future training programmes and ongoing research initiatives, helping to build a stronger safety culture throughout the rail value chain. At a time when South Africa is seeking to restore confidence in rail transport, improve operational performance and attract greater investment into the sector, the study represents a strategic intervention aimed at ensuring that the revitalisation of rail is underpinned by a robust and sustainable culture of safety.
