International regulation for railway transport

International regulation for rail transport

Despite the active development of air transport, especially in recent years, the railway is still one of the most important ways to connect between long distances. The main advantage of this type of land transport is its carrying capacity, which in turn makes it possible to transport large volumes of heavy cargo between countries. Therefore, companies that are engaged in the construction of railways, or the production of the necessary equipment, must have an understanding of which international documents regulate their field of activity. However, it is worth noting that the importance of international regulation in this matter is of increased importance, since the unification of the requirements for railway transport gives us the opportunity to use it on the territory of different countries, thereby fulfilling our main purpose. In order to ensure the safety of movement, all rolling stock as well as connection paths must undergo regular checks to ensure they are fit for use. As we mentioned earlier, rail transport is regulated by a large number of regulations that are aimed at guaranteeing their safety, the main ones of which we have collected for you in this article.

Railway applications - Aerodynamics - Part 5: Requirements and assessment procedures for aerodynamics in tunnels

EN 14067-5:2021

Rail connections often have to go through tunnels, as this can be caused by the terrain in which they are located. Taking into account the peculiarities of such a road structure as a tunnel, it is worth carrying out an additional check of the transport in order to ensure its safety for passengers and personnel, in accordance with the requirements specified in the international standard EN 14067-5:2021.

This document establishes aerodynamic requirements, test procedures, assessment methods and acceptance criteria for operating rolling stock in tunnels. Aerodynamic pressure variations, loads, micro pressure wave generation and further aerodynamic aspects to be expected in tunnel operation are addressed in this document. Requirements for the aerodynamic design of rolling stock and tunnels of the heavy rail system are provided. The requirements apply to heavy rail systems only.

Checking the aerodynamic properties of trains is a must for vehicle manufacturers. It is especially important to take into account all the situations that may arise on the road. If we are talking about the movement in the tunnel, as described in this document, then it is worth considering what load can be exerted on the rolling stock. You can read the text of this document on our website.

Railway applications - Straight and angled end cocks for brake pipe and main reservoir pipe

EN 14601:2005+A2:2021

One of the most important processes in the rolling stock, which requires a thorough check before putting it into operation, is the brake system, or in the case of trains, it is the brake line. A feature of this mechanism is its mode of action, respectively, it needs its own verification methodology, which is described in the international standard EN 14601:2005+A2:2021.

This document is applicable to manually operated end cocks designed to cut-off the brake pipe and the main reservoir pipe of the air brake and compressed air system of rail vehicles; without taking the type of vehicles and track-gauge into consideration.
This document specifies requirements for the design, dimensions, testing and certification (qualification and/or homologation), and marking. This International Standard and the information in it will be very useful for companies that manufacture trains, as it describes the requirements for brake lines, which, in turn, are a very important component of passenger safety. You can get advice regarding this international standard from the specialists of our company.

Railway applications - Line categories for managing the interface between load limits of vehicles and infrastructure

EN 15528:2021

The rail system is a complex system that provides connections between cities, as well as the ability to move for rolling stock, which can be used for different purposes, from transporting passengers to transporting heavy loads. Special attention should be paid to the stakes, which are designed for the movement of heavy vehicles, since in this case the load on the road will be many times greater. In order to ensure their suitability, tests are carried out according to the international standard EN 15528:2021.

This document is applicable to the lines with standard track gauge (1 435 mm) and wider track gauges of the heavy rail system  and the vehicles that are operated on these lines. This includes machines used for construction, maintenance, inspection, repair and renewal when they are operated in running mode, but not, when they are in working or travelling mode.
This document specifies methods of classification of existing and new lines of the heavy rail system and the categorization of rail vehicles.


This document gives guidance to a reliable and established management of the interface between rail vehicles and the heavy rail network and does not impose any requirements on either vehicles or infrastructure.
The application of this document enables to ensure the static route compatibility between a rail vehicle and the heavy rail network with respect to the vertical load carrying capacity.
It contains requirements relevant to:


—   classification of the vertical load carrying capacity of lines of the heavy rail network;


—   allocation of rail vehicles to line categories (categorization);


—   determination of payload limits of freight wagons.
This document does not apply to:


—   assessments of compatibility based on the parameter axle load alone;
—   compatibility checks for cases where an additional dynamic analysis is required (for example according to EN 1991 2);


—   requirements relating to the maximum total mass or maximum length of a train;


—   the system used in Great Britain, where all lines and vehicles are classified in accordance with the RA (Route Availability) System. A guide to the equivalent line categories in accordance with this European Standard is given in Annex F;


—   the publication of line categories.
The requirements of this document do not replace any regulations related to running behavior of vehicles described by the assessment quantities for running safety, track loading and ride characteristics (see EN 14363).

The transport of heavy transport trains requires a particularly reliable transport system, which must be suitable for such large masses. Given the increased load on track, it will be very useful for companies that are engaged in their production to familiarize themselves with the information described in this International Standard, the full text of which can be found at the link below.

Railway applications - Track - Track geometry quality - Part 3: Measuring systems - Track construction and maintenance machines

EN 13848-3:2021

The construction of railways is an important process that aims to facilitate the connection between cities and countries. As a result, the process of building railways requires control and strict regulation. It is also worth noting that each stage needs its own requirements, therefore international standards have been created and continue to be created to help control this, such as EN 13848-3:2021.

This document specifies the minimum requirements for measuring systems fitted on track construction and maintenance machines to give an evaluation of track geometry quality when they measure any one or several of the parameters described in EN 13848-1.
This document also gives the acceptable differences from EN 13848-1 when using chord measurements.
This document does not specify:


—   requirements for vehicle acceptance;


—   criteria for track works acceptance;


—   requirements for Urban Rail Systems.


Only systems put into service after the document comes into force are concerned.

The international standard that we described above regulates the requirements for machines that are used in the construction of railways. Taking into account the fact that this process has many nuances that are worth considering, in order to simplify production, one must be guided by generally accepted norms. You can view this document on our website.

Safety of railway transport operation

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the role of rail transport in connecting cities and countries, especially since we are talking not only about passenger traffic, but also about the transport of goods, especially heavy loads. With the help of the railway industry has the ability to transport large volumes of goods over long distances. However, it is possible to provide a connection between countries only if uniform international standards are used for rolling stock, as well as for railways. It is worth noting that during the construction of railway connections, as well as the trains themselves, many factors must be taken into account, among which, in particular, there are also the conditions of the natural relief through which the road will pass, since different natural conditions have different effects. Many external factors must be taken into account in order to provide a quality and secure land connection between cities, and in some cases between countries. In our article, we were able to consider for you only a part of international standards in the field of railways and transport, however, there are many more factors that cannot be neglected if your company operates in this segment and wants to become a leader among its competitors. In order to get more detailed advice, as well as to select international standards that will be most useful to you, you can contact us.

References:

https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/dcd229ba-b892-4ab3-8c6c-b45b00f56784/sist-en-14067-5-2022 https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/cd70e385-e02c-4214-a376-364271fbaebd/sist-en-14601-2005a2-2022 https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/336d42a4-c9a8-4919-b0ce-2f1488edd734/sist-en-15528-2022 https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/4e8581bf-9ef9-42fe-af57-e8269553668c/sist-en-13848-3-2022