System authority for the ERTMS
1. The Agency shall act as the system authority to ensure the coordinated development of the ERTMS within the Union, in accordance with relevant TSIs. To that end, the Agency shall maintain, monitor and manage the corresponding subsystem requirements, including the technical specifications for ETCS and GSM-R.
2. The Agency shall define, publish and apply the procedure for managing requests for changes to the ERTMS specifications. To that end, the Agency shall set up, maintain and update a register of requests for changes to ERTMS specifications and their status, accompanied by the relevant justifications.
3. The development of new versions of ERTMS technical specifications shall not be detrimental to the rate of deployment of the ERTMS, the stability of the specifications which is needed to optimise the production of ERTMS equipment, the return on investment for railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and keepers, and efficient planning of the deployment of the ERTMS.
4. The Agency shall develop and maintain the technical tools for managing the different versions of the ERTMS, with the aim of ensuring technical and operational compatibility between networks and vehicles fitted with different versions and of providing incentives for the swift and coordinated implementation of the versions in force.
5. In accordance with Article 5(10) of Directive (EU) 2016/797, the Agency shall ensure that successive versions of ERTMS equipment are technically compatible with earlier versions.
6. The Agency shall draw up and disseminate relevant application guidelines for stakeholders and explanatory documentation relating to the technical specifications for the ERTMS.
ERTMS group of notified conformity assessment bodies
1. The Agency shall set up and chair an ERTMS group of notified conformity assessment bodies as referred to in Article 30(7) of Directive (EU) 2016/797.
The group shall check the consistency of application of the procedure for assessing the conformity or suitability for use of an interoperability constituent as referred to in Article 9 of Directive (EU) 2016/797 and of the ‘EC’ procedures for verification referred to in Article 10 of Directive (EU) 2016/797 and carried out by notified conformity assessment bodies.
2. The Agency shall report every year to the Commission on the activities of the group referred to in paragraph 1, including by means of statistics on attendance of notified conformity assessment bodies' representatives in the group.
3. The Agency shall evaluate the application of the procedure for conformity assessment of interoperability constituents and of the ‘EC’ verification procedure for ERTMS equipment, and shall submit to the Commission, every 2 years, a report including, where appropriate, recommendations for any improvements.
Compatibility between ERTMS on-board and trackside subsystems
1. The Agency shall decide to:
(a)
without prejudice to Article 21(5) of Directive (EU) 2016/797, and before issuing an authorisation for the placing on the market of a vehicle equipped with an ERTMS on-board subsystem, advise applicants at their request, on the technical compatibility between ERTMS on-board and trackside subsystems;
(b)
without prejudice to Article 17 of Directive (EU) 2016/798, and after issuing an authorisation for the placing on the market of a vehicle equipped with an ERTMS on-board subsystem, advise railway undertakings at their request, before they use a vehicle equipped with an ERTMS on-board subsystem, on the operational compatibility between ERTMS on-board and trackside subsystems.
For the purposes of this paragraph, the Agency shall cooperate with the relevant national safety authorities.
2. Where, before an authorisation is issued by the national safety authority, the Agency becomes aware or is informed by the applicant through the one-stop shop in accordance with Article 19(6) of Directive (EU) 2016/797 that a project design or specification was changed after the Agency had issued an approval in accordance with Article 19 of Directive (EU) 2016/797 and that there is a risk of a lack of technical and operational compatibility between the ERTMS trackside subsystem and vehicles fitted with ERTMS, it shall cooperate with the parties involved, including the applicant and the relevant national safety authority, in order to find a mutually acceptable solution. If no mutually acceptable solution can be found within 1 month of the beginning of the coordination process, the matter shall be referred to the Board of Appeal for arbitration.
3. Where the Agency finds after an authorisation is issued by the national safety authority that there is a risk of a lack of technical or operational compatibility between the relevant networks and vehicles fitted with ERTMS equipment, the national safety authority and the Agency shall cooperate with all parties involved in order to find, without delay, a mutually acceptable solution. The Agency shall inform the Commission about such cases.
Supporting ERTMS deployment and ERTMS projects
1. The Agency shall assist the Commission in monitoring the deployment of the ERTMS in accordance with the European deployment plan in force. At the Commission's request, it shall facilitate the coordination of ERTMS deployment along the Trans-European Transport Corridors and Rail Freight Corridors as provided for in Regulation (EU) No 913/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 18 ) .
2. The Agency shall ensure technical follow-up of Union-funded projects for the deployment of the ERTMS, including, where applicable and without causing undue delay to the process, analysis of tendering documents at the time of the call for tenders. The Agency shall also, if necessary, assist the beneficiaries of those Union funds to ensure that the technical solutions implemented within projects are fully compliant with the TSIs relating to control-command and signalling and are therefore fully interoperable.
Accreditation of laboratories
1. The Agency shall support, in particular by giving appropriate guidelines to the accreditation bodies, harmonised accreditation of ERTMS laboratories in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 19 ) .
2. The Agency shall inform Member States and the Commission in cases of non-conformity with the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 in relation to the accreditation of ERTMS laboratories.
3. The Agency may participate as an observer in the peer evaluations required by Regulation (EC) No 765/2008.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
