SIST EN 45545-5:2013

SIST EN 45545-5:2013 is the Slovenian adoption of EN 45545-5:2013 from SIST. It sets fire safety requirements for electrical equipment on railway vehicles, including trolley buses, track guided buses and magnetic levitation vehicles. In practice, it tells designers and suppliers how to reduce ignition risk and keep emergency electrical functions available during evacuation.

What does SIST EN 45545-5:2013 specify?

SIST EN 45545-5:2013 specifies fire safety requirements for electrical equipment used on railway vehicles and related guided transport vehicles. Its purpose is to reduce the chance that electrical equipment starts a fire and to keep electrical emergency equipment operating until evacuation is complete.

The document is organized into:

• Scope
• Normative references
• Terms and definitions
• General requirements
• Design requirements
• Maintainability
• Evaluation of conformity
• Annex ZZ on the link to EU Directive 2008/57/EC

The core of the standard is Clause 5, which covers design topics such as cabling, overload protection, arc protection, enclosures, batteries, switchgear, emergency equipment and heating equipment. Clause 6 addresses maintenance and later modifications, because fire safety depends on how the equipment is kept in service as much as on its original design.

What are the key requirements of SIST EN 45545-5:2013?

SIST EN 45545-5:2013 focuses on preventing ignition, limiting arc effects, and protecting emergency functions. It also links the electrical fire safety rules to other parts of EN 45545 and to related railway electrical standards.

Overload protection and fault handling

Clause 5.1 requires overload protection to be selected with the short-circuit current, fault duration, source characteristics, and load-side components in mind. For systems where neither pole is bonded to earth, both poles need protection.

In practice, this means the protection setting cannot be chosen in isolation. It has to match the real circuit, including traction converters and other components that affect fault behaviour, so that faults are cleared before they become fire sources.

Cabling, arc control, and mechanical protection

Clause 5.2 requires high-power cables in certain occupied or ventilated areas to be in metallic ducting or conduit bonded to the vehicle body. It also requires arc-extinguishing measures when the line protection device may not clear a fault quickly enough.

This matters because cable damage and sustained arcing are common fire starting points. The standard therefore pushes designers to route, shield and support cables so that mechanical damage, arc spread and stress on terminations are reduced.

Arc protection devices and enclosures

Clause 5.3 defines arc splash barriers, arc barrier Type A and arc barrier Type B. Clause 5.4 uses those devices, together with insulation coordination and thermal protection, to control the effect of arcing around electrical equipment.

In practice, this is about containing hot particles and arc energy so they do not reach flammable parts or the passenger area. The document also allows the enclosure itself to provide the required fire separation when it is designed for that role.

Batteries, switchgear and emergency equipment

Clause 5.6 requires battery gases to vent outside passenger and staff areas and limits what may be placed inside battery boxes. Clause 5.7 sets rules for switchgear so switching arcs do not reach flammable or body-connected metallic parts. Clause 5.8 requires emergency electrical functions to remain intact until they are no longer needed for evacuation.

For users, this means battery layouts, switchgear location and cable separation for emergency circuits all need deliberate fire-safety design. The standard names functions such as communication, traction control, brake control, doors, fire fighting and fire detection as examples that may need continuity during an emergency.

Heat sources, current collector areas and maintenance

Clause 5.10 addresses resistors and heating equipment with surface temperatures of 200 °C or more. Clause 5.11 covers components near the current collector that may be exposed to arcing, and Clause 5.12 requires forced ventilation that could affect occupants to be shut down in a fire.

Clause 6 then requires equipment needing maintenance to be accessible, kept so ignition sources do not develop over its life, and modified without reducing the original fire safety performance. That means maintenance intervals, inspection, cleaning, repair, replacement and testing must be defined by the supplier.

What terms does SIST EN 45545-5:2013 define?

SIST EN 45545-5:2013 uses the terms and definitions from EN 45545-1:2013, and it adds several important device types in Clause 5.

• Arc splash barrier - a device intended to protect against incandescent metal particles from making or breaking high-power contacts.
• Arc barrier Type A - a barrier for containing a short-duration arc that occurs during normal operation.
• Arc barrier Type B - a barrier for containing an arc caused by failure of high-power equipment.
• Electrical emergency equipment - electrical equipment needed for emergency functions during evacuation.
• Bonding - the protective electrical connection of conductive parts to the vehicle body, used here to support fire and electric-shock protection.
• Overload protection - a protective arrangement that clears abnormal current conditions before they overheat cables or equipment.

Who uses SIST EN 45545-5:2013?

SIST EN 45545-5:2013 is used by rolling stock manufacturers, electrical equipment suppliers, integrators, and railway safety engineers. It is also relevant to operators and maintenance organizations that need to specify, inspect and modify on-board electrical systems.

The standard is especially relevant for railway vehicles, trolley buses, track guided buses and magnetic levitation vehicles. Buyers use it to define fire safety expectations for electrical equipment, and assessors use it when checking conformity of design, installation and maintenance arrangements.

What changed in SIST EN 45545-5:2013 from the previous edition?

SIST EN 45545-5:2013 supersedes CLC/TS 45545-5:2009.

Which standards are used with SIST EN 45545-5:2013?

SIST EN 45545-5:2013 relies on these referenced standards:

• EN 45545-1:2013 - general terms and definitions, and the basis for conformity evaluation.
• EN 45545-2:2013 - material fire behaviour properties for items such as arc barrier materials.
• EN 45545-3:2013 - fire resistance requirements for fire barriers and partitions.
• EN 45545-4:2013 - fire safety requirements for rolling stock design.
• EN 45545-6 - fire control and management systems, including emergency functions.
• EN 50124-1 - insulation coordination, clearances and creepage distances.
• EN 50125-1 - environmental conditions for on-board equipment.
• EN 50153 - protective provisions relating to electrical hazards and bonding dimensions.
• EN 50343 - rules for installation of cabling.
• EN 61140 - protection against electric shock.

What does the SIST EN 45545-5:2013 document contain?

SIST EN 45545-5:2013 contains design rules for overload protection, cabling, arc protection devices, enclosures, cable ducts, batteries, switchgear, emergency equipment, bonding, resistors, heating equipment, current collector arcing areas, forced ventilation and flammable liquids. It also contains maintainability rules and a conformity reference to EN 45545-1.

Annex ZZ maps the standard to essential requirements of EU Directive 2008/57/EC. For readers, that annex shows how the standard fits into railway interoperability and fire-safety compliance discussions, without repeating the design requirements themselves.