Having received safety certificate Part A on 20 November, the French Railway Safety Board (EPSF) has just granted Thalys a certificate Part B in France. The company’s teams are now getting ready to receive certificate Part B for Belgium.

While Part A is a Europe-wide certificate which covers general safety management arrangements, Part B is valid in only one country. To obtain this certificate, the teams at Thalys will have had to demonstrate that they comply with national safety provisions and their implementation in every situation, to ensure the safety of operations, staff, passengers and third parties. The description of procedures for rolling stock maintenance, certification and training of personnel at THI Factory or the organisation chosen by the railway undertaking in exceptional circumstances have been outlined in the application.

These certificates are essential to the implementation of the railway undertaking. From 31 March next year, Thalys will become fully responsible for safety matters. The aim of Thalys’ safety division, led by Eric Martos, is to put in place a pragmatic system with close links to operators, short execution speeds and improved procedures – whilst also allowing for innovation (adapting documentation, methods and tools for example) which will also play a significant role in the area of safety. Thalys will also call on its partners SNCB and SNCF with regard to specific operations (such as track maintenance) when it comes to feedback and critical analysis.

(Source: SNCF-SNCB-Thalys)