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Vectron: First locomotive platform in Europe to receive TSI Highspeed certification

Posted: 17 September 2012 | | No comments yet

The Vectron locomotive family has received its EC Certificate from Eisenbahn-CERT (EBC)…

SIEMENS

The Vectron locomotive family has received its EC Certificate from Eisenbahn-CERT (EBC) in Bonn (Germany), the Notified Body for Interoperability of the Federal Railway Authority. This means that Vectron fulfills the requirements set out in the Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI) relating to rolling stock operating on the trans-European high-speed rail system (TSI HS RST), making it the first locomotive platform to be certified according to this specification in Europe. On the basis of this certificate, the Vectron can be approved for operation in all EU states. Additional evidence only has to be provided for compliance with applicable national requirements not covered by the TSI.

Ulrich Wiescholek, Head of EBC, said: “The EBC took the platform concept particularly into account during the EC verification procedure. Each locomotive variant within the ‘Vectron family’ has the same basic configuration and – depending on the locomotive’s specific area of operation – is further equipped with individually selected configuration packages. By establishing ‘verification modules’, which span a range of parameters as large as possible and enable modular combinations, ressources, time and costs associated with variant verification can be reduced. This means that a new variant can usually be certified at a low cost and within a very short space of time.”

Vectron locomotives fulfill the TSI HS RST specification for class 2 vehicles operating on the trans-European high-speed rail system (vehicles with a maximum speed from 190 km/h to 250 km/h) as well as the TSI SRT (Safety in Railway Tunnels), which covers large parts of national fire protection requirements in Europe. In addition, the Vectron complies with TSI PRM (Accessibility to Persons with Reduced Mobility) and the noise level requirements set out in TSI HS RST as well as in the specification for the trans-European conventional rail system TSI NOISE.

Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI)

The TSI was introduced to establish binding regulations for the interoperability of the trans-European high-speed rail system based on the complexity of the rail network and integrated aspects regarding basic requirements. On the one hand, this enables the safer and more continuous operation of interoperable high-speed trains. On the other hand, the TSI was also introduced to achieve a definitive technical harmonization of the entire trans-European high-speed rail system and thus improve its competitiveness by reducing production, acceptance, operating and maintenance costs.

Compliance with the TSI is verified by the Notified Bodies and attested in an EC Certificate of Verification. This certificate forms the basis for making out an EC Declaration of Conformity with which an applicant can apply for the operation of a vehicle at the respective national approval authority. The EC Certificate of Verification entitles its holder to declare the conformity with the requirements of the TSI for each vehicle of the vehicle series referred to. A vehicle cannot be put into operation without this declaration.

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