Developing the rail industry

An Ask the Expert feature with KEMA Rail

Is it possible to find the right balance between interoperability and harmonisation on the one hand and innovation and sustainability on the other hand? Frank Walenberg, Director of KEMA Rail Transport Certification, outlines his view.

Europe is well on the way to create an interoperable railway system. However the desire for interoperability seems to be contradictory to the need for innovation. Sustainable development for the railways is hard to imagine without this innovation.

Interoperability
Interoperability finds its origin in the well-known Interoperability Directives 96/48/EC, 2001/16/EC, 2004/50/EC and the more recent Directive 2008/57/EC. Interoperability is based on the so-called essential requirements. It is defined as “ … the ability to allow the safe and uninterrupted traffic at a required level of performance. This ability depends on all regulatory, technical and operational conditions, which must be met in order to satisfy the essential requirements.” Essential requirements are related to safety, reliability and availability, health, environmental protection and technical compatibility. From a practical perspective it is very understandable that interoperability is often mistakenly limited to technical compatibility. From a more general perspective it is logical and necessary that all the essential requirements are taken into account. The link to sustainability is established through the essential requirement of environmental protection. In the current situation this is characterised by a pragmatic approach: concrete objectives in the area of noise, vibrations, electromagnetic compatibility and emission of fumes are formulated.

Harmonisation and standardisation
The requirements for interoperability are detailed in the Technical Specifications for Interoperability or TSIs. These specifications apply to the entire Trans European network, both on high-speed lines and on conventional railway lines. The TSIs will soon cover all the railway requirements, but important parts are already in force for the entire network, like ERTMS/ETCS. This approach of interoperability is based on a high degree of standardisation and harmonisation. In order to guarantee compatibility on the interfaces, there is no other technical possibility then to harmonise. And railways are all about interfaces. Between rail and wheel, between axle and track gauge, between vehicle and loading gauge, between pantograph and overhead line, between on-board and track side signalling. The list is virtually endless. On top of this is the ergonomics of the human–machine interface. Adaptation of the interfaces makes the railway work. Certification of the standardised components and interoperability constituents guarantees the interoperability.

Innovation
From the above, it must be clear that the Interoperability Directives are not meant to stimulate innovation as such. The incentive for innovation must come from the market and society itself. Sustainability through innovation is an objective that must be reached with the legislative framework as a boundary condition, but not because of the legislative framework. The subsystem energy is a good example. As long as the requirements on the interfaces are met in terms of voltage, frequency, power, harmonic emission, mechanical contact with the overhead line, every solution to realise the functions of distributing and converting the energy is allowed. This has made it possible to include all the results of the development of energy efficient solutions for distribution and conversion. It will support further development in this area. New sources of power can be introduced within the existing framework. The limitation is given by the standardisation of the interfaces; possibilities are created by the use of the concept of the essential requirements as the criterion for acceptability.

Pragmatism to sustainability
The pragmatic approach implies that new developments are checked against the existing essential requirements and not necessarily against the standard, which is used to check the traditional technical solutions. KEMA Rail Transport Certification has all the skills and experiences to assist you in your certification processes in the frame of the Interoperability Directives, even if you want to propose new sustainable solutions.

The current Interoperability Directive is pragmatic where it mentions very concrete goals and measures, but incomplete where it leaves out the objectives related to sustainability. Where in the current version of the Interoperability Directive emission of fumes, electromagnetic compatibility, noise and vibrations are treated, the next revision could spend more attention to introduction of the concept of sustainability as part of this essential requirement for instance in the area of energy consumption and energy efficiency, general applications of materials and lifecycle approach. But you do not need to wait for this improvement. The railway is developing and KEMA Rail Transport Certification can assist you in the acceptance of your developments.

For more information please contact:
Frank Walenberg, Director of KEMA Rail Transport Certification
P.O. Box 11 AA Arnhem, the Netherlands
E: frank.walenberg@kema-rail.nl