prEN 13848-6

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2024
Železniške naprave - Zgornji ustroj proge - Kakovost tirne geometrije - 6. del:
Karakterizacija kakovosti tirne geometrije
Railway applications - Track - Track geometry quality - Part 6: Characterisation of track
geometry quality
Bahnanwendungen - Oberbau - Gleislagequalität - Teil 6: Charakterisierung der
geometrischen Gleislagequalität
Applications ferroviaires - Voie - Qualité géométrique de la voie - Partie 6 :
Caractérisation de la qualité géométrique de la voie
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 13848-6
ICS:
45.080 Tračnice in železniški deli Rails and railway
components
93.100 Gradnja železnic Construction of railways
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
September 2024
ICS 93.100 Will supersede EN 13848-6:2014+A1:2020
English Version
Railway applications - Track - Track geometry quality -
Part 6: Characterisation of track geometry quality
Applications ferroviaires - Voie - Qualité géométrique Bahnanwendungen - Oberbau - Gleislagegüte - Teil 6:
de la voie - Partie 6: Caractérisation de la qualité Charakterisierung der geometrischen Gleislagequalität
géométrique de la voie
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 256.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2024 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 13848-6:2024 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms, definitions, symbols and abbreviations. 5
3.1 Terms and definitions . 5
3.2 Symbols and abbreviations . 6
4 General principles . 7
4.1 Introduction . 7
4.2 Parameters for track geometry quality assessment . 7
4.3 Transparency . 7
4.4 Complexity . 7
4.5 Track-vehicle interaction . 7
5 Methods of assessment of track geometry quality . 7
5.1 General . 7
5.2 Reference method: TQI - Standard deviation (SD) . 8
ref
5.3 Other methods . 9
5.3.1 General . 9
5.3.2 Number of isolated defects . 9
5.3.2 Combined standard deviation (CoSD) . 9
5.3.3 Standard deviation of the combinations of parameters . 10
5.3.4 Point mass acceleration method (PMA) . 11
5.3.5 Methods based on vehicle response . 12
5.3.6 Power Spectral Density (PSD) . 13
6 Levels of aggregation and calculation methods . 14
7 Classes of track geometry quality . 14
7.1 General . 14
7.2 Description of track quality classes (TQC) . 15
7.3 Values of track quality classes . 16
7.4 Assignment of TQCs . 17
7.5 Possible application of TQCs . 17
Annex A (informative) Point mass acceleration method (PMA) . 19
A.1 Introduction . 19
A.2 Calculation of the PMA-assessment figure . 19
Annex B (informative) Vehicle Response Analysis methods (VRA) . 21
B.1 Introduction . 21
B.2 Determination of the assessment tables . 21
B.3 Application of the assessment tables . 24
Annex C (normative) Method for calculating reference TQIs (TQI ) . 27
ref
C.1 Introduction . 27
C.2 Description of the method . 27
Annex D (informative) Method of classification of alternative TQI using the TQCs . 28
D.1 Introduction . 28
D.2 Description of the conversion method . 28
Bibliography . 30

European foreword
This document (prEN 13848-6:2024) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 256 “Railway
applications”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 13848-6:2014+A1:2020.
The main changes compared to EN 13848-6:2014+A1:2020 are listed below:
— change of the structure of the document;
— revision of Annex A;
— revision of Annex B.
In this document, the Annex C is normative and the Annexes A, B and D are informative.
This document is one of the series EN 13848 “Railway applications — Track — Track geometry quality” as listed
below:
— Part 1: Characterisation of track geometry;
— Part 2: Measuring systems — Track recording vehicles;
— Part 3: Measuring systems — Track construction and maintenance machines;
— Part 4: Measuring systems — Manual and lightweight devices;
— Part 5: Geometric quality levels — Plain line, switches and crossings;
— Part 6: Characterisation of track geometry quality.

1 Scope
This document provides the method to characterize and classify the quality of track geometry based on
parameters defined in EN 13848-1.
This document also specifies different track geometry classes.
This document does not:
— apply to lines with a nominal gauge less than 1 435 mm;
— specify requirements for Urban Rail Systems.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 13848-1:2019, Railway applications — Track — Track geometry quality — Part 1: Characterization of track
geometry
EN 17343, Railway applications — General terms and definitions
3 Terms, definitions, symbols and abbreviations
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 17343 and the following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1.1
decolouring
algorithm which modifies the spectral content of a signal aimed to compensate or apply the characteristics of a
specific measuring system
Note 1 to entry: The decolouring is used in EN 13848 series to convert a chord measurement signal into a D1 or D2
measurement signal.
3.1.2
track quality index (TQI)
value that characterises track geometry quality of a track section based on parameters and measuring methods
compliant with EN 13848 series
3.1.3
track quality class (TQC)
characterization of track geometry quality as a function of speed and expressed as a range of TQIs
3.2 Symbols and abbreviations
For the purposes of this document, the symbols and abbreviations given in Table 1 apply.
Table 1 — Symbols and abbreviations
Symbol Designation Unit
AL Alignment mm
ATQI Alternative Track Quality Index
CL Cross level mm
CoSD Combined standard deviation mm
cr Curvature 1/m
D0 Wavelength range 1 < λ ≤ 5 m
D1 Wavelength range 3 < λ ≤ 25 m
D2 Wavelength range 25 < λ ≤ 70 m
D3 Wavelength range 70 < λ ≤ 150 for longitudinal level m
Wavelength range 70 < λ ≤ 200 for alignment
λ Wavelength m
G Track gauge mm
LL Longitudinal level mm
MBS Multi Body System
PMA Point Mass Acceleration (method)
PSD Power Spectral Density 2
m /(1/m
)
SD Standard deviation mm
SD Standard deviation longitudinal level mm
LL
SD Standard deviation alignment mm
AL
TQI Track Quality Index
TQI Reference Track Quality Index
ref
TQC Track Quality Class
V Speed km/h
VRA Vehicle Response Analysis (method)

NOTE In this document, AL stands for “alignment” and is not to be confused with AL standing for “alert limit” as de
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