Technical Specifications for InteroperabilityThe Interoperability Directive (2008/57/EC) sets out a number of essential requirements to be met for interoperability, which include 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. Please note that Commission Directive 2009/131/EC amends Annex VII of the Interoperability Directive. The development of the TSIs is the responsibility of the European Railway Agency (ERA). The Interoperability Directive entered into force in July 19th 2008 and the UK has two years from that date to transpose the requirements into domestic legislation. This will be done by a revision of the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2006, which will establish how these changes are to be applied in the UK. Further information on this transposition is available from the Department for Transport website. The development process for TSIs, as set out in the Interoperability Directive and managed by the ERA, is a complex one and can be challenging for those individuals who are involved in it. The Industry Standards Coordination Committee (ISCC) has therefore developed the following guidance for persons from the GB industry who are involved in the development of TSIs so they are aware of the process before they get involved in this work.
The intent of the guidance is to capture, in a single place, all of the necessary background that someone involved in drafting a TSI should know (or point them towards other reference documents) so they are informed before they start work. However, it is a rather long document and thus may be difficult to refer to on a frequent basis. For that reason, a short two page checklist of factors to bear in mind when working on a TSI has also been developed.
The key stages in the process for development of a TSI are:
The Member States have a period of six months after being notified of the adoption of a TSI by the Commission in which to notify their National Technical Rules (NTRs) to ensure that the notified NTRs are available at the same time as the TSI. The following file lists all of the High Speed and Conventional TSIs that have been or are under development, together with the current status of each TSI and, where available, links to the text of the TSI and the associated notified NTRs.
The following log has been established to capture information relating to problems which have been encountered applying TSIs on the UK railway. The log is managed by RSSB but issues may be contributed by any railway party working with a TSI, including those on the GB mainline railway and HS1. Where appropriate, a document setting out further information relating to a particular issue is available via a hyperlink within the log. Any suggestions for additions or corrections to the log should be sent to Steve Basilio on 020 3142 5573.
The following document provides further information on how the log is to be managed and populated, including the role that the RSSB-facilitated Standards Committees may fulfil in providing a forum for industry discussion about suspected errors in TSIs and how to address them.
Please contact Jon Taylor on 020 3142 5601 if you require further information regarding the development of the TSIs.
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