Rail Approval Management

What is rail approval management?

Rail approval management helps rolling stock manufacturers, suppliers, railway operating companies and infrastructure managers gain approval from the relevant governing bodies to place their vehicle into service. In-depth knowledge is required to understand the different approval requirements, depending on the type of railway vehicle and the conditions of its intended use. These requirements, from different sources such as technical specifications for interoperability (railway TSI), Notified National Technical Rules (NNTR), and customer and supplier specifications, must be merged and consolidated. The coordination and interpretation of these complex requirements among various stakeholders, such as Notified Bodies, ISA and authorities is very challenging.

Why is rail approval management important?

The correct interpretation of complex technical requirements and the successful navigation through the approval management process results in various benefits:

• Ensure compliance with relevant requirements, like the EU’s railway technical specifications for interoperability (railway TSI) or Notified National Technical Rules (NNTR) to place your railway vehicle into service

• Understand all relevant requirements correctly for your rail vehicle in your target market

• Identify the optimal approval strategy to save time and minimise the risk of project delay

• Guarantee a smooth and seamless approval process to meet the expectations of your various stakeholders

TÜV SÜD is your recognised partner for placing your rail vehicles into service

TÜV SÜD’s professional network, extensive experience and knowledge of railway regulatory requirements in different markets around the world enables us to support you with complete one-stop support for rolling stock assessment and EC verification, from conceptualisation through to product approval. As an accredited inspection body and testing laboratory according to ISO 17020 and ISO 17025, we help you to successfully navigate through the approval process. Our close collaboration with many authorities enables us to minimise the risk of non-compliance.

Our experts are recognised worldwide as railway safety assessors and expert advisers by railways and European and international authorities including the German Federal Railway Authority (EBA). Through our experts’ involvement in national and international boards, we are constantly up to date with the latest regulatory requirements. We are also notified as Designated Body (DeBo), Notified Body (NoBo) and Assessment Body (AsBo).

TÜV SÜD’s rail approval management services

TÜV SÜD acts as your independent partner throughout the approval process with an extensive suite of services:

Approval requirements support

• We maintain an up-to-date overview of the complex approval requirements to assist manufacturers, suppliers and railway operating companies throughout the process.
• We support you in understanding the requirements to avoid misinterpretation.

Approval planning and strategy

• To ensure the approval process runs smoothly, our experts will analyse your project to identify possible delays and operational constraints.
• We also help to identify risks and support decisions by managing coordination between authorities, customers and engineering partners.

Approval process

• Drawing on vast experience in rolling stock approval projects, our experts can contribute to your continuous process improvement and help establish or organise your process manuals to strengthen your approval department.