CERTIFICATION FOR THE INTEROPERABILITY OF RAILWAY SUBSYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS -  NOTIFIED BODY

Mandatory compliance checks with respect to the technical specifications for interoperability pursuant to Directive 797/2016

SCENARIO

The railway sector is characterized by a strong transnational connotation and the investments made and planned are important, not only in Italy but also in Europe, aimed at improving rail transport and promoting interoperability and intermodality.
The purpose of Directive 797/2016 on Railway Interoperability is to define the procedures to be satisfied to create the conditions necessary to guarantee the interoperability of the trans-European railway system.
To this end, railway subsystems and components must be subject to an EC verification procedure, the principles, conditions and procedures of which are defined by specific modules based on the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI).
In Italy, the legislation was implemented with Legislative Decree 57/2019 and provides that the verification of interoperability on a structural system constituting the railway system is carried out with reference to the TSIs.

SOLUTION

Interoperability Certification
Bureau Veritas supports operators in the railway sector as a Notified Body - NoBo for the mandatory checks of conformity of the interoperability of railway subsystems and components. Bureau Veritas is a Notified Body for the interoperability of trans-European lines and carries out inspections in the following areas:
■ On-board and ground signaling
■ Rolling stock
■ Energy
■ Infrastructure
■ Maintenance
■ Noise, operations and traffic management, accessibility for disabled people.

For the purposes of Interoperability Certification, the Notified Body begins its activity in the design phase and continues throughout the construction period and until the subsystem enters service. The Assessor's intervention throughout the entire production process (from the design to the final verification) allows us to ensure that the subsystem is compliant and safe.

OUR METHODOLOGY

The Interoperability Certification service is structured through the following steps:
■ Evaluation of the application of the manufacturer's Quality Management System in the production phase, in order to verify whether the requirements defined in the reference standards are satisfied;
■ Evaluation of the manufacturer's documentation, in order to verify whether the requirements defined in the reference standards are satisfied. Any deviations from the standards will be collected in the form of a LOP (List of outstanding points) and sent for the necessary corrections or additions;
■ Presence at Laboratory Tests - Test Witnessing;
■ Quality Audit;
■ Technical Audit;
■ Examination of maintenance documentation;
■ Audit report and issue of any technical notes;
■ Preparation of final evaluation reports;
■ Preparation of Technical Files for verification for the component/subsystem;
■ Issuance of CE certificates in accordance with the required modules and in accordance with the ERA guidelines.

FAQ - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

In which phase of the production process does the Accredited Body intervene?
The Assessment activity by the Notified Body takes place starting from the first stages of development throughout the entire production process. The involvement of the Verifier from the project to the final verification facilitates the achievement of the final objective of ensuring the safety of railway systems, subsystems, products and processes.