In 2017 the European Commission launched a Rail Technical Operational Issues Logbook, the main aim of which is to identify barriers to interoperability hampering international rail freight traffic, especially on rail freight corridors (RFCs).
One of the most important priorities is the technical operational issue of different national braking rules and requirements. To harmonise braking rules within the TEN-T rail freight area in the EU, a working group set up by Xrail and the International Union of Railways (UIC) looked into concrete solutions to overcome this braking rule barrier. Linked with that initiative, a project named CEF PSA UBS Action was launched to resolve the technical operational issue of different national braking rules and requirements and implementing the Unified Braking Scheme (UBS) as a pilot project along the Rhine-Alpine Corridor.
The main goal of the CEF PSA UBS Action project is to demonstrate that rail safety is not at all degraded by the UBS solution and therefore fulfils all the requirements set out in the Safety Directive CSM REA. One of the tasks to accomplish that goal is to transfer the knowledge gained across the TEN-T rail network.
As the first activity, the pilot and test trains have run on the Rhine-Alpine Corridor and experience and feedback have been gained.
The second activity is to share knowledge and practices from the pilot experience through workshops. The workshops also aim to implement the new braking rules and related processes within TEN-T corridors. These workshops will bring together experts from railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, national ministries and representatives of the European Union Agency for Railways.
The knowledge transfer workshops will be held online on 7 and 28 April 2022 from 09.00 to 12.30, with the same agenda for both workshops. Participants can thus choose to attend one of the workshops based on their availability.
Braking/operational experts from RUs, IMs, NSAs and MoTs in Rail Freight Corridors in Europe are welcome to attend.
Please see the registration links below:
https://uic.org/events/agenda-cef-psa-ubs-action-transfer-knowledge-workshops
