Common Safety Method on Common Safety Targets

This Regulation provides in the short term control of safety performances and in the longer term, convergence of safety performance in Europe, through the use of national reference values (i.e. common ways of measuring and assessing safety performance on a macro level).

The assessment of achievement of CSTs is facilitated by the collection and use of a common set of rail safety data, the Common Safety Indicators (CSIs).

National safety authorities use CSIs to gather information from railway undertakings and infrastructure managers, which combined with other relevant data, makes a comparative analysis possible, and serves as basis for policy recommendations at EU level.

CSIs are based on common definitions and calculation methods, the data set is structured as follows:

• Significant accidents;
• Deaths and serious injuries;
• Suicides;
• Precursors of accidents;
• Economic impact of accidents;
• Technical aspects (level crossings by type and automatic train protection systems);
• Management of safety.

ERA publishes these indicators in its biennial Report on Railway Safety and Interoperability in the EU. The historical CSI data and additional documentation can be downloaded from the Common Safety Indicators (CSIs) page.

The annual report on the assessment of achievement of CSTs and the Report on Railway Safety and Interoperability in the EU are available in corporate publications.

Monitoring safety performance is a priority task of the Agency in its mission to promote a harmonised approach to railway safety in Europe.