This sub-theme highlights the interconnectedness between these two vital aspects of railway operations. It recognises that while rail transport offers numerous environmental benefits, such as reducing carbon emissions and relieving traffic congestion, ensuring its safety is paramount to protect both human lives and the environment. 

In this case, the environment would include Climate Resilience, Biodiversity, Hazardous materials, and Community engagement. 

Biodiversity highlights initiatives to preserve and enhance biodiversity in railway ecosystems, promoting coexistence between rail operations and wildlife habitats.

The development of new technology within the rail environment needs to follow a Systems Approach and be able to adapt to change.

This means adopting the latest Rail Industry trends including autonomous trains, internet of trains, artificial intelligence, decarbonization, rail connectivity, passenger experience, high-speed rail, rail automation, big data and analytics, and augmented/virtual reality.

Highlighting the importance of community engagement and stakeholder collaboration in rail infrastructure projects, including public consultation processes, stakeholder mapping, and conflict resolution strategies.

The railway industry often requires compliance to very specific processes, regulations, and systems. While these requirements were created to safeguard safety, hey may result in the industry being somewhat bureaucratic. Technology, with its ability to enhance safety, create infrastructure upgrades, improve train operation effectiveness, and foster improvements in passenger experience, may be well positioned to offer alternative and more efficient solutions. One such possible area where technology may offer solutions is through simplifying third party access in railways.

The information dense world we live in has fostered a culture of continuous enlightenment particularly around adopting and adjusting safety management systems. There is a need to remain adaptive when it comes to implementing new safety management systems. The exploration of making improvements on existing systems and pivoting to promote railway safety is paramount.

Safety Culture is understood to have a considerable bearing on railway safety performance; it is essential that it is considered on all levels, always. The adoption of Safety Culture into railway safety management systems is vital for ensuring the implementation and maintenance of robust and safe railway systems.

The consideration of human factors within the South African railway industry is a fairly new practice. The default, even when designing and creating new and innovative systems, leans significantly towards railway engineering. It is imperative that human factors is integrated into railway safety systems on all levels, including an evaluation of existing risks for human machine systems. It is essential that the contribution of the humans who will ultimately work within the designed systems is accounted for, understood, and incorporated.