Many passenger and freight locations are terminal (end of line) situation, on the rare occasions that the train fails to stop or slow down sufficiently the risk is that it will collide with or override the end of the platform/line.
Fitting efficient and effective buffer stop systems will protect passengers, rolling stock and infrastructure in the event of a train failing to stop.
Buffer stops can be frequently found in docks and ports at the end of rails where cranes travel and railway lines are used to deliver coal or cargo to the port. They can also be used in factories and steel mills in conjunction with cranes and major machinery in order to take out some of the high stresses that the buildings can endure when the cranes are reaching the end of their travel.