The Railway Safety Regulator's (RSR's) latest 'State of Safety' report for 2025/26 shows a 9.9% year-on-year decrease in total railway occurrences, including operational occurrences and security-related incidents, to 8 288 in 2025/26, from 9 200 in 2024/25.

This represents the third consecutive year of improvement and the lowest number of occurrences recorded in five years.

“Despite year-on-year improvements, we need to do a lot more to address these challenges,” RSR CEO Brian Monakali noted during a media briefing and panel discussion on October 7. He stated that the sector would not improve further if it did not have robust discussions.

The report, which was released on October 7 to coincide with Transport Month, also shows a 27% year-on-year decrease in derailments to 246.

“This is 14% below the five-year average and indicates a notable improvement in operational safety,” said Monakali.

Security-related occurrences fell to 5 710, representing an 11.2% year-on-year decrease and a 33.9% reduction over the past three years.

Theft of railway assets declined by 10.2%, while vandalism decreased by 15.1%.

However, despite the overall decline in railway occurrences, fatalities increased by 25.9%, rising from 139 to 175.

“Sadly, members of the public accounted for 95.4% of all fatalities, highlighting the interaction between the railway and the public as the industry's greatest safety challenge,” stressed Monakali.

These fatalities are attributed to a combination of factors some of which are not in direct control of operators.

“Passenger injuries were concentrated at the platform-train interface and in other areas where passengers interact directly with moving trains and station infrastructure,” he added.

A LONG WAY TO GO
The 2025/26 results provide evidence of progress, but they also confirm that the remaining safety burden is concentrated in categories with severe consequences.

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa CEO Nwabisa Gamane-Ntiyane highlighted that safety improvement and service recovery underpinned the growth strategy of the State-owned passenger rail company.

The next phase of improvement must therefore convert the reduction in occurrences into a sustained reduction in fatalities and injuries, she stated.

Success will depend on disciplined implementation of safety controls, timely rehabilitation of critical infrastructure and collective accountability across the railway system.

Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager GM Andiswa Dlanga said that, through various safety and security interventions the group had managed to deliver measurable safety improvements since it was founded in April 2025.

“These interventions include but are not limited to critical infrastructure protection, technology-enabled security anti-cable theft programmes, and community partnerships and awareness campaigns,” Dlanga stressed.

“Together we will build a safe, more reliable and more competitive railway system for South Africa,” she noted.

The RSR's 'State of Safety' report offers insights into railway safety performance in South Africa and identifies emerging risks, industry trends and outlines interventions aimed at enhancing safety across the rail sector.

The RSR noted that the release of the report came at a pivotal time for the rail sector following the implementation of the Railway Safety Act and the ongoing rail reform programme, which was introducing greater competition and increased activity across the rail network.

Importantly, the report also outlines key areas earmarked for intervention, including public safety at rail interfaces, level crossing safety, infrastructure protection and the reduction of fatalities.