Independent Verification and Validation for Railway

WHAT IS A RAILWAY INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION SERVICE?

Due to their growing complexity, it is more and more challenging to both accurately analyse and ensure a railway project’s overall safety and deliver the project in line with international railway standards for performance, reliability and functionality. To do so requires interdisciplinary expertise and a knowledge that goes beyond technical safety into operational safety and railway best practices.

An Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) checks the overall railway project throughout the whole lifecycle to confirm that it complies with all the specified railway requirements and standards for Safety, RAM, Functionality and Quality. This is achieved through the adoption of a structured process that checks whether the design is properly validated and verified and is in compliance with the project’s requirements.

The verification tasks are generally included within each lifecycle phase and their objective is to demonstrate that the railway requirements of each lifecycle phase have been fulfilled.

The validation tasks aim to assure that the railway project under consideration meets the specified requirements for the intended use or application.

WHY ARE RAILWAY INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION ACTIVITIES IMPORTANT?

The presence of an IV&V in the project allows key risks associated with achievement of the project objectives to be identified, monitored and managed by an independent body that follows a global best practice and has a cross sector experience.

AS AN INDEPENDENT VERIFICATION AND VALIDATION BODY for railway projects, TÜV SÜD ENSURES:

• The fast delivery of a project in compliance with international standards for railway safety, performance, reliability and functionality
• Railway Operation and Maintenance (O&M) requirements and considerations are continually analysed throughout the project lifecycle to mitigate the risk of any delays of the railway into revenue service
• Gaps and discrepancies in the specifications are identified and closed in the early design stages, so that consistent and regular checks are instigated back to the specifications from other project contractors to minimise changes in the interface design
• Any potential engineering requirements related to RAMS targets are verified and the costs have been achieved

AS A RESULT, YOUR PROJECT WILL BENEFIT BY:

• Minimising the risk of delays and cost overrun through early identification of any deviation from the applicable project requirements and the development of suitable counter measures
• Providing assurance to all the technical and commercial stakeholders, and regulatory bodies that the project is being managed professionally through the lifecycle
• Contributing to the overall management of any project risks and the provision of a safe, reliable and sustainable railway service

TÜV SÜD IS YOUR EXPERT FOR OVERALL RAILWAY SYSTEM VERIFICATIONS AND VALIDATIONS

TÜV SÜD successfully delivers IV&V services using a systematic methodology that follows a balanced approach (between inspections-focused, assurance-focused and risk-focused activities), concentrates on the early stages of the project and takes a proactive attitude.

TÜV SÜD provides Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) services tailored to your specific needs by identifying the approaches most suited to your project from the outset. From computer chip evaluation to complete railway systems, our rail experts are highly knowledgeable and experienced across all disciplines and at all technical levels of brownfield and greenfield projects.

TÜV SÜD’S IV&V RAILWAY SERVICES

TÜV SÜD offers IV &V services covering all technical aspects of overall railway project. This includes all safety-critical subsystems such as rolling stock and signalling as well as civil works infrastructure. Our services also cover the process framework for the integration, interface management, and RAMS assurance of a complete railway project. 

Our experts can verify and validate your railway project with a portfolio of services that can help to mitigate, among others, the following risks:

• Technology Risk
• Application Risks
• Operability Risks
• Safety Risks
• Programme Risk

Our interdisciplinary expertise and knowledge covers, among others, following aspects of a complete railway project:

• Infrastructure (including understructure, superstructure, civil works and energy)
• Earthworks (geological and geotechnical)
• Civil works (including static calculation)
• Track components and measurement cars
• Vehicles and components
• Generic signalling products as well as generic and specific signalling applications according to EN and IEC standards
• AC and DC energy systems
• Interfaces (including track/civil works, track/understructure, track/rolling stock, rolling stock/catenary, track/energy, track/signalling, signalling/track, signalling/rolling stock and signalling/energy)
• Virtual Reality and BIM (Building Information Modeling)
• Fire protection, emergency and rescue concepts (including railway stations, tunnels and vehicles)
• Operational Procedures
• Maintenance procedures and workshops