Safety remains fundamental to every part of the railway. As the network becomes more connected and digitally enabled, the industry must also respond to changing security risks and ensure that services, assets and supply chains can withstand and recover from disruption.
For the rail supply chain, this means designing safety, security and resilience into products, infrastructure and services throughout their lifecycle. Rail Forum’s Safety, Security & Resilience pillar will help members understand changing requirements and connect with the organisations shaping a safer, more resilient railway.
Support from Rail Forum...
Across Safety, Security & Resilience, Rail Forum will:
- Connect members with safety leaders, operators, infrastructure organisations, regulators and specialists.
- Inform members about changing safety, security, cyber and resilience priorities.
- Create opportunities to collaborate through events, workshops, roundtables, briefings and Rail Safety Week.
- Champion supply-chain capability, highlighting technologies, expertise and good practice that contribute to a safer railway.
- Promote a strong safety culture, encouraging collaboration and continuous improvement across the industry.
A Safe Railway
Maintaining a safe railway requires constant focus across operations, the workforce, infrastructure and rolling stock. Good safety culture, effective risk management and technologies and maintenance approaches that prevent incidents all have an important role to play.
Rail Forum supports this through Rail Safety Week, the industry-wide initiative that brings organisations together to put safety in the spotlight and share ideas and best practice. Rail Forum is the custodian of the initiative on behalf of the rail industry, with over 150 organisations taking part in 2026.
Security & Cyber Resilience
The railway’s growing use of connected technology brings new opportunities, but also new security requirements. Connected rolling stock, digital signalling, operational technology and interconnected systems mean cyber security needs to be considered alongside physical and personal security.
The Rail Cyber Security Strategy provides an industry framework built around people and culture, managing exposure, consistent defences, detection and monitoring, and resilience and recovery.
For suppliers, cyber security is also becoming increasingly relevant throughout the asset lifecycle, with Department for Transport guidance on rolling stock procurement setting expectations for secure specification, design, assurance and maintenance.
Rail Forum will help members understand changing requirements, share expertise and explore how the supply chain can strengthen rail security and cyber resilience.
Operational & System Resilience
A resilient railway must be prepared for disruption and able to recover quickly when it occurs. Asset failures, supply-chain pressures, energy security, extreme weather and wider external events can all affect railway operations and passenger and freight services. The wider UK resilience agenda increasingly recognises the interconnected nature of risks affecting infrastructure, public services and global supply chains.
For the rail supply chain, resilience means understanding vulnerabilities, maintaining critical capability and planning for continuity throughout the asset lifecycle. Rail Forum will bring members together to explore how better asset management, technology, collaboration and supply-chain planning can improve long-term railway resilience.
