Requirements on trackside Control Command and Signalling systems
Requirements for authorisation
Requirements for the Swedish part of the rail system within the European Union are found in the Railway Technology Act (2022:366). Subsystems and interoperability constituents shall fulfil requirements from the relevant technical specifications for interoperability (TSI) and national requirements.
There are at this time no notified national requirements for fixed installations. The requirements found in the Railway Technology Act are the same as the essential requirements in the Railway interoperability directive, (EU) 2016/797. Lines with ERTMS have to fulfil the requirements in the valid version of TSI Control-Command and Signalling (TSI CCS).
Requirements for national railways, i.e. outside the Swedish part of the rail system within the European Union, are found in the National Railway Act (2022:368).
Application of the requirements
To demonstrate fulfilment of the requirements, the infrastructure manager responsible for making a change has to send in the documentation required in our regulations TSFS 2022:47 (for railways regulated by the railway technology act) or TSFS 2022:48 (for national railways).
The applicant has to describe the requirements capture process. This is the process used by the applicant for identification, function assignment, implementation and validation of all relevant requirements. For railways regulated by the railway technology act, the applicant has to demonstrate how the risk management process in the CSM-RA regulation (EU) 402/2013 has been applied.
When developing a new or modified safety critical control-command and signalling system (CCS-system) e.g. interlocking, train protection or automatic level crossing, the system has to be safe. To demonstrate the safety the applicant can use the standards EN 50126, EN 50128 and EN50129. This ensures that the system is developed according to a specified process, and the safety demonstration will be assembled in a structured safety case. An independent safety assessor (ISA) has to assess the evidence and produce a report with the assessment result.
An ISA for a national railway project has to be accepted by the Swedish Transport Agency. To avoid unnecessary work, it is suitable to ask for this acceptance before the ISA starts to work. To be accepted, the ISA must be independent from the project under assessment and have the necessary knowledge about both the technical system under assessment and the process for achieving safe systems.
Train protection system (ATP)
In the Swedish part of the rail system within the European Union, when infrastructure with ATP installed is extended or modified, ATP must be installed also on the new or modified part of the infrastructure.
The Swedish railway net has a common national train protection system, ATC2 (a class B-system). This system is being replaced during the next decades. The European interoperability directive requires that ERTMS shall replace the national class B systems.
Read more about ERTMS plans in Sweden on Trafikverket’s website.
For national railways, there are no absolute requirements to install a train protection (ATP) system on new networks. However, there is a generic requirement to maintain the level of safety when authorising a new or modified infrastructure. When extending, upgrading or renewing an infrastructure which has an ATP system you should install ATP also on the modified part of the infrastructure. For a network without ATP system, the operational rules of the network may have to be revised because of the modification.
Radio Communication
All infrastructure for railway shall have a radio system installed for communication with the vehicles. For railways regulated by the railway technology act a GSM-R system has to be installed. National railways may have a different type of train radio system then GSM-R, depending on the railway.
Applied TSIs
Our webpage for technical authorisation of railways includes a list with links to valid versions of the technical specifications of interoperability (TSI). The list includes a link to TSI CCS, with requirements for ERTMS and GSM‑R.
For authorisation of a subsystem, partly or fully covered by TSI requirements, the applicant has to engage a notified body (NoBo). The NoBo checks that the subsystem fulfils the TSI requirements.
The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) have made guidelines for the application of TSIs. ERA have also made a template for a NoBo to use when indicating restrictions, conditions and added functions in their certificates for a CCS subsystem. You will find the guideline and the template on ERAs webpage for ERTMS.
European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)
Notified national requirements
A TSI-compliant subsystem shall fulfill the TSI requirements and notified national requirements.
At the moment the Swedish Transport Agency does not see the need to notify any national requirements.
Safe integration between the on-board and the trackside Control Command and Signalling subsystems
When authorising infrastructure, we will check that the subsystems, including the CCS trackside subsystem, fulfils all essential requirements when integrated into the railway system. The safe integration between on-board and trackside CCS systems will also be checked.
An authorised vehicle operating on a network has a specified train protection system and a specified radio system on-board, and it has to be proven that these on-board CCS systems are compatible and safely integrated with the trackside part of the CCS system.
For the ERTMS and GSM-R lines in the Swedish part of the rail system within the European Union this is managed through ETCS system compatibility (ESC) and radio system compatibility (RSC) parameters. Infrastructure managers are responsible for defining parameters and test cases for ESC and RSC, and to apply to ERA for approval of these. More information about CCS system compatibility and ERA approved ESC/RSC parameters can be found on ERA’s webpage for ERTMS.
European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)
If the trackside system has to be modified, the infrastructure manager has to make sure that the modification does not affect the parameters and the test cases, or else apply to ERA for an update of the affected parameter.
How ESC/RSC parameters affect the authorization of on-board CCS is described on our webpage:
Requirements on On Board Control Command and Signalling systems (CCS)
ERA trackside approval
Before any call for tender of a trackside ERTMS system, the relevant documentation has to be sent to ERA for approval. ERA has the task to check that the planned technical solutions fulfil the requirements in the relevant TSIs. In that way the interoperability is ensured in the planned system. More detailed information can be found at ERAs website: