The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), together with the Algerian authorities, has organised a regional seminar on how to manage risks through the development of a Safety Management System (SMS). The event provided a good forum for exchange on safety issues (from policies, risk-management, data collection, to accident investigation) and allowed to take stock on the creation of the future National Safety Authority and body in charge of accident investigation, in Algeria. It also introduced a series of training materials on Safety Management System and cooperation initiatives on level crossing management (such as EU funded project SAFER-LC).

The seminar was opened by Farouk Chiali, Minister of Public Works and Transport who stressed the importance of adopting new safety standards in the context of modernization of the national rail system. He highlighted three priority areas to enhance safety: capacity building and training of officials in charge of safety, convergence with EU rules and international standards on Safety Management System, safety plan to improve level crossings within a national programme (over 1250 level crossings).

The event gathered 100 participants (top managers, senior officials and safety managers from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the National Rail Transportation Company (SNTF), the National Agency for the Planning and Implementation of Railway Investments (ANESRIF), representatives from urban transport, as well as international experts of the EU Agency for Railways, the French National Safety Authority and the International Union of Railways.

The EUMedRail project is funded by Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission (DG NEAR). The project supports the implementation of the Regional Transport Action Plan for the Mediterranean region 2014/2020, specifically its Action 12 Safety and Interoperability in the railway sector.

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Press Release

European Union Agency for Railways (EUMedRail)