Development of Safety Control Structure of Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit, Using System –Theoretic Approach

Light Rail Transit is drawing attention as an environmentally-friendly transportation mode, and is expected to be a solution for sociotechnical transportation issues in many societies. Currently, its market has been rapidly expanding all over the world. In the Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC) released a strategic vision to develop new LRTs in 2008, specifically focusing on two corridors, Ayat Adababay to Torhailoch and from Piazza (Areda Georgis) to Kaliti. With such rapid growth, safety is a growing concern in LRT projects; in fact, there have been two accidents over the past three years. In developing a new LRT system, it is crucial to conduct risk analysis based on lessons learned from these past accidents. Furthermore, for risk analysis of complex sociotechnical systems such as LRT systems, a holistic system-safety approach focusing not only on physical domains but also on institutional levels is essential. With these perspectives, this research proposes a new system-based safety Control methodology for complex sociotechnical systems. This methodology is based on the system safety approach, called STAMP (System-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes). As a case study, the proposed LRT project in the AA is analyzed by this methodology. This methodology includes steps of conducting STAMP-based accident analysis, developing a safety control model of the LRT system in the AA based on lessons learned from the analyzed accidents, with a specific focus on the institutional structure. Thus, this thesis research concludes with specific recommendations about safety management in the project in the LRT, making a point that the proposed methodology can be valuable for the actual project processes as a ―safety-guided institutional design‖ tool.