Development towards higher grade of automation (GoA) levels has been a global trend in trains and metros, but so far not in trams due to their complex and highly dynamic operating environment. However, currently rail operators are also showing increasing interest on higher automation levels in tram systems to increase their efficiency and safety. Higher GoA levels in a tram system introduces changes in operating principles, new roles for personnel, and new types of safety risks in daily operations. New approaches and tools are needed to identify new safety and reliability risks arising from autonomous operation and to evaluate intelligent (preventive) safety solutions. In this paper, we present two studies where risk analysis methods were applied in the conceptual level to identify new autonomy related safety risks in tram operations. The research results can be applied widely in automation development in railway systems.