16 Sept 2026
Light rail leaders have been updated on a series of projects driving wide-ranging enhancements to tramway safety in the UK.
At a high-profile event in Birmingham this week, representatives from network owners, operators and other key figures heard how the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board is continuing to drive down the risk of accidents and other harmful events.
Carl Williams, LRSSB Chief Executive, explained: “The Light Rail Summit provided the ideal platform to update the sector on our latest risk modelling, which has revealed an overall reduction in the sector’s total collective risk of 27 per cent over the past three years.
“Since our models were last reviewed in 2023, we’ve seen improvements in all areas of tramway safety, with the greatest gains coming from measures to mitigate against incidents involving third parties, including pedestrians and other road users.”
Organised by UKTram, in partnership with the LRSSB, the summit also heard from members of the LRSSB team on projects aimed at tackling risks identified by the models, including a national pedestrian safety campaign and research into devices to alert people of approaching trams at non-motorised user crossings.
Recent enhancements to the sector-wide Tramway Accident and Incident Reporting (TAIR) system were also highlighted during a wide-ranging presentation that recognised the valuable partnerships the LRSSB has forged with its stakeholders.
“The advances we’ve already seen are down to hard work and commitment across the sector, but we can never be complacent, and the LRSSB will continue to take the lead in embracing innovative new technologies and shared best practice to ensure the UK remains a world leader in tramway safety,” Carl added.