IEC 62236-1:2008

IEC 62236-1
Edition 2.0 2008-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Railway applications – Electromagnetic compatibility –
Part 1: General
Applications ferroviaires – Compatibilité électromagnétique –
Partie 1: Généralités
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IEC 62236-1
Edition 2.0 2008-12
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Railway applications – Electromagnetic compatibility –
Part 1: General
Applications ferroviaires – Compatibilité électromagnétique –
Partie 1: Généralités
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
M
CODE PRIX
ICS 45.060 ISBN 978-2-88910-645-5
– 2 – 62236-1 © IEC:2008
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.3

INTRODUCTION.5

1 Scope.7

2 Normative references .7

3 Terms and definitions .8

4 Performance criteria .8

5 Management of EMC .8

Annex A (informative) The railway system.9

62236-1 © IEC:2008 – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

____________
RAILWAY APPLICATIONS –
ELECTROMAGNETIC COMPATIBILITY –

Part 1: General
FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
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Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
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with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
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International Standard IEC 62236-1 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 9:
Electrical equipment and systems for railways.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition published in 2003. It constitutes a
technical revision and is based on EN 50121-1:2006.
The main changes with respect to the previous edition are listed below:
– rewording of the introduction;
– suppression of Annex B.
– 4 – 62236-1 © IEC:2008
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:

FDIS Report on voting
9/1184/FDIS 9/1212/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on

voting indicated in the above table.

This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

A list of all parts of IEC 62236 series, published under the general title Railway applications –
Electromagnetic compatibility, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the maintenance result date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in
the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
62236-1 © IEC:2008 – 5 –
INTRODUCTION
The railway EMC set of product-specific International Standards consists of five parts

described at the end of this introduction.

The set of standards provides both a framework for managing the EMC for railways and also

specifies the limits for the electromagnetic (EM) emission of the railway as a whole to the

outside world and for the EM emission and immunity for equipment operating within the

railway. The latter must be compatible with the emission limits set for the railway as a whole

and also provides for establishing confidence in equipment being Fit For Purpose in the

Railway environment. There are different stationary emission limits set for trams/trolleybuses

and for metro/mainline railways. The frequency covered by the standards is in the range from
d.c. to 400 GHz. No measurements need to be performed at frequencies where no
requirement is specified. The limits for EMC phenomena are set so that the railway as a whole
achieves electromagnetic compatibility with the outside world, and between the various parts
of the railway. Throughout the set of standards, the immunity levels are chosen to ensure a
reasonable level of EMC with other apparatus within the local railway environment and with
emissions which enter the railway from the outside world. Limits are also placed on EM
emission by railways into the outside world.
The compatibility between railway emissions and their external environment is based upon
emission limits from the railways being set by considering results from measurements. Given
that the general compatibility between railways and their environment was satisfactory at the
time these measurements were made and subsequent experience of applying the limits has
confirmed their acceptability, compliance with this part of IEC 62236 has been judged to give
satisfactory compatibility. The immunity and emission levels do not of themselves guarantee
that the railway will have satisfactory compliance with its neighbours. In exceptional
circumstances, for instance near a “special location” which has unusually high levels of EM
interference, the railway system may require additional measures to be taken to ensure
proper compatibility. Particular care should be taken when in proximity to equipment such as
radio transmission equipment, military or medical installations. In particular, attention is drawn
to any magnetic imaging equipment in hospitals that may be near to urban transport. In all
these cases, compatibility must be achieved with consultation and co-operation between the
interested parties.
The immunity and emission levels do not of themselves guarantee that integration of the
apparatus within the railway will necessarily be satisfactory. The standard cannot cover all the
possible configurations of apparatus, but the test levels are sufficient to achieve satisfactory
EMC in the majority of cases. In exceptional circumstances, for instance near a “special
location” which has unusually high levels of EM interference, the system may require
additional measures to be taken to ensure proper operation. The resolution of this is a matter
for discussion between the equipment supplier and the project manager, infrastructure
controller or equivalent.
The railway apparatus is assembled into large systems and installations, such as trains and
signalling control centres. Details are given in annex A. It is not, therefore, possible to
establish immunity tests and limits for these large assemblies. The immunity levels for the
apparatu
...