Signalling Assurance

TÜV SÜD provides engineering support and functional safety assessments for signalling systems. With a long service life and some failure occurrences likely, it is important that equipment failure modes do not affect safety critical systems.



We have experience in assessing a variety of signalling systems for compliance and have been involved in a number of European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS) projects assessing Level I and Level II European Train Control Systems (ETCS).

Compliance assessment is conducted against the following relevant standards:
EN 50126, EN 50128, EN 50129 and EN 50121, EN 50123, EN 50124, EN 50159-1,-2
According to EN 50128 and EN 50129 the assessment activities implemented depend on the safety integrity level (SIL) assigned to the subsystems or components. Where the product is an evolution of an existing product the assessment is often based on already existing approvals or assessed safety cases. The safety case for new equipment is prepared in parallel with product development, with documentation provided to the assessors at incremental stages of the development.

Great importance is placed on defining failure modes and performing selected tests on the subsystems or the system as a whole. This is especially important as the systems might be supplied by various manufacturers from various countries. Technical or operational miss-interpretations due to language problems must be minimized as far as possible.

TÜV SÜD Rail is experienced in facilitating Hazard Identification (HAZID) studies in accordance with EN 50128 and EN 50129 as well as IEC 61882 assisting rail customers to identify potential hazards and operability problems in order for remedial measures to be developed.

We also undertake acceptance management, risk and hazard analysis (qualitative and quantitative), FMEA, fault tree analysis, simulation, RAMS management and auditing services.