• Objective

A Single European Railway Area (SERA) requires national rail systems to be interoperable. This is ensured by the 4th Railway Package, completed with specific implementing regulations (the Technical Specifications for Interoperability -TSI). These TSIs are complemented by European standards (ENs) developed by the European Standardisation organisations. ENs are sometimes also used as part of the conformity process with the TSI specifications to enable the design of interoperable railway systems and technologies.

• Involvement of Infrastructure Managers

European standardisation, including in the rail sector, is ensured by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, the officially recognised European Standardisation Organisations (ESOs) under Regulation (EU) 1025/2012. They prepare, publish and distribute ENs. Infrastructure Managers’ (IMs) experts actively contribute to the standardisation process, either directly via the relevant committees of the ESOs or, via EIM, in dialogue with the Commission and the EU Agency for Railways (ERA), e.g. the European Sector Railways Forum (SFR, formerly JPCR) and the Standardisation Coordination Platform for Europe (RASCOP).

• EIM in action

EIM is actively involved in standardisation matters through the participation and contribution on different matters related to standardisation in dedicated groups such as:

• the European Sector Forum Railways (SFR, formerly JPCR), composed of rail manufacturers, railway undertakings, IMs and CEN-CENELEC-ETSI;

• the Standardisation Coordination Platform for Europe (RASCOP), bringing together different stakeholders plus the European Commission and the EU Agency for Railways (ERA).

Opportunities

• Interoperability trough standardisation allows reduction of product development costs;
• Standardised products open the market to new competitors;
• More competition allows cost savings in public tenders.

Challenges

• CEN-CENELEC-ETSI struggle to provide timely European standards to facilitate interoperability;
• The standardisation priorities of IMs are not always taken into account;
• Stronger link between TSIs and standards.