The aims of interoperability
Interoperability is a European initiative aimed at improving the competitive position of the rail sector so that it can compete effectively with other transport modes, and in particular with road transport.
The Department for Transport’s website states that Government expects interoperability to benefit the UK by:
- Delivering economies of scale in the cost of components and equipment through the single market;
- Providing a consistent and simple pan-European approvals system for putting railway assets into service; and
- Reducing, to the extent that it will be possible for the UK, the barriers to the through operation of trains throughout Europe.
The Department for Transport’s website provides further information about interoperability.
The European Railway Agency
The European Railway Agency (ERA), based in Valenciennes, France, was set up in 2006 to help to build an integrated European railway area by reinforcing rail safety and promoting interoperability. ERA develops common technical standards and common approaches to safety, working closely with stakeholders from the rail sector, mainly through the sector organisations, as well as with national authorities, the EU institutions and other interested parties.
ERA is made up of six operational units, including an Interoperability Unit which provides technical support on the implementation of EC legislation on railway interoperability. The other units deal with cross acceptance, safety, ERTMS, economic evaluation and administration.
The Railway Interoperability Directive
The Railway Interoperability Directive 2008/57/EC of 17 June 2008 sets out the conditions to be met to achieve interoperability within the Community rail system. These conditions concern the design, construction, placing in service, upgrading, renewal, operation and maintenance of the parts of this system as well as the professional qualifications and health and safety conditions of the staff who contribute to its operation and maintenance.
Directive 2008/57/EC effectively combines Directive 96/48/EC on the interoperability of the European high-speed rail system and Directive 2001/16/EC on the interoperability of the European conventional rail system. It also incorporates requirements from the Railway Safety Directive 2004/49/EC relating to the placing into service of rolling stock. With effect from 19 July 2010, Directive 2008/57/EC repealed Directive 96/48/EC and Directive 2001/16/EC.
Annexes II, V and VI of Directive 2008/57/EC were amended by Directive 2011/18/EU of 01 March 2011. The amendments split the verification procedure for subsystems into two parts: an EC verification procedure (by a Notified Body) and a 'verification procedure in the case of national rules' (by a Designated Body). The amendments also split the control-command and signalling (CCS) subsystem into two new subsystems: trackside CCS and on-board CCS.
There is now a consolidated version of the Railway Interoperability Directive 2008/57/EC which is amended by Commission Directive 2009/131/EC of 16 October 2009 and Commission Directive 2011/18/EU of 01 March 2011.
Technical Specifications for Interoperability
The Railway Interoperability Directive (2008/57/EC) sets out a number of essential requirements to be met for interoperability, which cover safety, reliability and availability, health, environmental protection and technical compatibility along with others specific to certain sub-systems. The Directive also requires the production of mandatory Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs) which define the technical standards required to satisfy those essential requirements.
The Railways (Interoperability) Regulations
European law has supremacy over national law. A Directive, as a piece of European Community legislation, is binding on individual Member States, whose governments must generally give it effect by transposing it into national law (also known as domestic law).
The Railway Interoperability Directive 2008/57/EC has been transposed into national law through the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011.
Other European secondary legislation can take the form of EC Regulations and Decisions (which apply directly, without the need for transposition), and much Interoperability legislation has been issued in one of these forms. For example, TSIs are generally notified to Member States as Decisions.
Where Railway Group Standards fit in the European standards system
Railway Group Standards (RGSs) have, and will continue to have for the foreseeable future, a number of roles in the context of the European standards system. Further information about these roles is given on the page on this site dealing with where RGSs fit into the European system.
Industry Standards Co-ordination Committee (ISCC)
The Industry Standards Co-ordination Committee (ISCC) has been established by the RSSB in accordance with the Railway Group Standards Code.
As part of its purpose, ISCC provides direction, advice and guidance to Standards Committees and RSSB with respect to European standards issues relevant to the mainline railway. ISCC also approves the lists of measures to be proposed by RSSB to the member state as National Technical Rules and National Safety Rules; and it approves proposed GB specific cases* prior to them being proposed for inclusion in a Technical Specification for Interoperability.
* ‘Specific cases’ are special provisions in the TSIs, required because of geographical, topographical or urban environment constraints, or to maintain compatibility with the existing railway system.