202503 – Moore – Signal Design Report: What Is It and Why Do We Need It?

The design of the signalling system is critical to the safety of railway operations. The signalling design must be completed and demonstrated to be safe so far as is reasonably practicable (SFAIRP). This is a complicated task to demonstrate and document the safety of the signalling design.

The demonstration of the safety of the signalling design must encompass all of the elements of the design and all of the processes leading to finalisation of the design. The Signal Design Verification Report is one option to bring together all of the evidence from all of the design processes.

The Signal Design Report can include all of the regulatory requirements and a summation of all of the processes detailed in the Railway Infrastructure Manager’s Safety Management System. The Report provides a basis for bringing the signalling system into service.