Railway RAMS Course
Online 300-hour Course in Railway RAMS. 6 modules covering EN 50126-1 and EN 50126-2 (railway RAMS), EN 50129 (safety-related electronic systems) and Isograph Reliability Workbench. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
Railway RAMS Course — studying from South Africa
Regulation, safety and homologation skills are essential across South African industry, from road vehicles and aviation to energy and mining. Engineers must demonstrate compliance with national standards set by the South African Bureau of Standards and sector regulators. Reliability, availability, maintainability and safety analysis is applied in infrastructure, rail, energy and manufacturing projects. Specialists support certification, type approval and risk assessment for both local and export markets.
Fees for South Africa: 12,700 R (South African rand), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in South Africa
Typical roles
Questions from South Africa
Are SEIUM Institute programmes recognised by ECSA?
SEIUM Institute's programmes are its own private qualifications and are not official state degrees. The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) decides on professional registration, so please check directly with ECSA how your studies and experience will be assessed.
Do I need to speak a language other than English?
No. All SEIUM Institute programmes are taught in English, which is the main language of most South African engineering workplaces and professional registration processes.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Apply the EN 50126 RAMS lifecycle to a railway project.
Calculate reliability and availability parameters for systems.
Assign SIL levels to safety functions.
Analyse maintainability and integrated logistic support.
Prepare the safety case according to EN 50129.
Plan the demonstration and acceptance of RAMS requirements.
Develop a RAMS plan for a railway subsystem.
Who it's for
- Railway RAMS engineer looking to specialise in railway RAMS.
- Functional safety engineer looking to specialise in railway RAMS.
- Reliability engineer looking to specialise in railway RAMS.
- Logistic support engineer looking to specialise in railway RAMS.
- Independent safety assessor looking to specialise in railway RAMS.
- Railway quality manager looking to specialise in railway RAMS.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter rolling stock manufacturing.
What you'll work with
- EN 50126-1 and EN 50126-2 (railway RAMS)
- EN 50129 (safety-related electronic systems)
- EN 50716 (railway software)
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 402/2013 (common safety method)
- IEC 61508 (functional safety)
- IEC 60300-3-12 (integrated logistic support)
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Definitions of reliability, availability, maintainability and safety1.2The EN 50126, 50128/50716 and 50129 family1.3V-model lifecycle of EN 50126-11.4Factors influencing railway RAMS1.5RAMS requirements in tender specifications1.6Organisation and roles: RAM manager and safety manager1.7Project RAMS plan1.8Relationship with the CSM-RA1.9Independent Safety Assessor (ISA)1.10Case study: analysis of RAMS requirements in a tender
2.1Failure rates, MTBF and MTTR2.2Failure classification: service, immobilising and minor2.3Reliability block diagrams2.4Markov analysis2.5Allocation of RAM targets2.6Prediction using field data and IEC 617092.7Inherent and operational availability2.8Fleet reliability and delays2.9Reliability growth2.10Laboratory: RBD model of a train
3.1Preliminary hazard analysis3.2Hazard log3.3Tolerable hazard rate (THR)3.4Safety integrity levels SIL 0 to 43.5SIL allocation according to EN 50126-23.6Fault trees and FMECA3.7Common cause analysis3.8Software safety EN 507163.9Generic and specific safety case3.10Workshop: SIL allocation for a signalling function
4.1Maintainability analysis and MTTR4.2Maintainability demonstration4.3Logistic support analysis (LSA)4.4Preventive maintenance plan4.5Spares and LRUs4.6Maintenance documentation4.7Predictive railway maintenance4.8On-board diagnostics4.9Life-cycle cost4.10Practice: maintainability analysis of a bogie
5.1RAM demonstration plan5.2FRACAS data collection5.3Statistical reliability testing5.4Warranty period and penalties5.5Safety validation5.6Safety acceptance and authorisation5.7Change and RAMS management5.8Audits and independent assessments5.9Lessons learned from real projects5.10Case study: availability demonstration for a fleet
6.1Definition of the railway system6.2RAMS requirements6.3Hazard analysis6.4SIL allocation6.5Reliability and availability models6.6Maintenance plan6.7Structure of the safety case6.8Demonstration plan6.9Report and presentation6.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Training is 100 % online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine the course with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Isograph Reliability Workbench, ReliaSoft BlockSim, IBM DOORS, ANSYS medini analyze, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Tests are studied on real procedures for system hazard analysis, reliability demonstration in service and logistic support analysis. Assessment is continuous, module by module, plus a final integrative project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Apply the EN 50126 RAMS lifecycle to a railway project.
Calculate reliability and availability parameters for systems.
Assign SIL levels to safety functions.
Analyse maintainability and integrated logistic support.
Prepare the safety case according to EN 50129.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme’s software.
- Sufficient level of Spanish to follow the reading of technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 300 hours, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is an average of 10 to 15 hours per week, compatible with a full-time job.
You will work with Isograph Reliability Workbench, ReliaSoft BlockSim, IBM DOORS and ANSYS medini analyze. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
A SEIUM Institute own diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the final integrative project. This is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or Postgraduate Diploma in the same area are credited towards the advanced programme. Check the credit transfer policy when you enrol.
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