The Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) will overhaul its application process through the implementation of an automated Web-based National Information Monitoring System (Nims), which will be launched at the end of this month.

The system would give registered operators fast access to a range of services and information products provided by the RSR, while also enabling real-time interaction between the regulator and its clients.

“Automation of our systems is an important innovation that will add value to our operations. It will significantly reduce the amount of time spent on administration, ensure accuracy of information and provide instant feedback to enquiries,” RSR CEO Nkululeko Poya said, adding that Nims would advance the flow of information between the regulator and railway operators.

The automated system would allow for online reporting of incidents, occurences and fatalities; applications for railway saftey permits; the payment of penalties; and convenient access to information on compliance and adherance to railway safety regulations, standards and procedures.

The Web-based system would also act as a repository for operator profiles to ensure the validity of their permits.

The Nims would be implemented in a phased approach starting in June, with the RSR having encouraged operators to verify the accuracy of their permit data in the database and to subsequently rectify any inacuraccies by September.

From June to September, the regulator would also conduct an audit of all safety permit data.

SAFETY PERMIT FEES
Meanwhile, the RSR also stated that it would use the launch of Nims to introduce a revised railway safety permit fee model.

“Almost 80% of the operators who participated in [a] Web-linked permit model selection survey in November opted for the implementation of the mixed revenue and activity and rate-adjusted risk model,” the regulator said.

This fee model would consider rail-related revenue data as well as rail activity-related factors.

Further, while the previous model indirectly discouraged operator investment in maintenance, the new one took the potential risks posed by operators, owing to their activities in the rail environment, into consideration. In line with the National Railway Safety Act, the new railway safety permit would also be renewed yearly.

To ensure the affordability of the revised permit fee model – especially for the 4% of railway operators that would pay significantly more than what they are currently paying – the permit fees would be phased in over a period of five years with fee increases capped at 50% for the 2014/15 financial year.

In addition, a scientific formula would be provided on Nims for operators to calculate their fee structure.

Meanwhile, the RSR was also researching incentive models to officially recognise and reward operators that could tangibly demonstrate an improved safety performance over the next five years. 

The regulator also assured operators of as much hand-holding as possible during the implementation of both Nims and the risk-based safety permit fee model.

The RSR would conduct workshops to familiarise operators with the functions of the new system and its user-friendly interface. It would also establish a help-desk function and customer care centre by November.