2022 was a momentous year for our company in many ways!

Last year we issued a total of 171 (EC) Certificates of Verification/Intermediate Statements of Verification (ISVs) (78 for Infrastructure, 52 for Energy and 36 for Control-Command and Signalling, and 5 for Rolling Stock), our NoBo notification status has been extended to Rolling Stock-RST, our number of employees has almost doubled and we have been represented in several European countries at various events.

Two end-of-year projects are worth highlighting; the conformity assessment of the authorisation documents for the Hatvan-Újszász and Vámosgyörk-Gyöngyös railway lines.

For the Hatvan-Újszász and Vámosgyörk-Gyöngyös railway lines, EC (NoBo) and NR(DeBo) certification procedures have been carried out for three subsystems – Energy (ENE), Infrastructure (INF) and Control-Command and Signalling (CCS). The main technical contents to be implemented under the former project were:

• Upgrading of the Hatvan delta track between junctions A and D, ensuring a speed of 80 km/h at the junctions and increasing the axle load to 225 kN,
• Complete renewal of the lighting installations up to Jászberény,
• rebuilding of the overhead contact line system,
• Complete track superstructure replacement on the section from Hatvan (only) to Jászberény (including),
• Jászberény stations: construction of 160 m of elevated platform SK+55,
• Conservation renewal of the D55 equipment at Jászberény station,
• reconstruction of road crossings on the Hatvan-Jászberény section,
• renewal of the line level crossings (AS) and the crossing facilities (AT) on the section.

The design tasks of the Vámosgyörk-Gyöngyös project included:

• upgrading of the railway track to provide a speed of 100-160-120 km/h and an axle load of 22.5 tonnes,
• Renovation of Gyöngyös station,
• complete reconstruction of the existing overhead line system,
• construction of a safety equipment system with ETCS L1 train protection,
• renewal of level crossings with change of insurance mode,
• condition-dependent renovation or reconstruction of structures.

RailCert Hungary Kft., as a NoBo, DeBo or AsBo Organisation, will participate in a number of projects in 2023, as it did last year.

On 17th January 2023, RailCert Hungary Kft. welcomed the representatives of the NoBo (Notified Body) at the kick-off meeting of the CCS-Control-Command and Signalling subsystem section of the NB-Rail Association Coordination Group in Budapest.

In the event, 9 countries were represented, including of course our country.In 2023, all TSIs (Technical Specifications for Interoperability) are expected to be amended by the European Commission, which also means that NoBo’s will have to carry out conformity assessment procedures according to new assessment criteria/criteria. The NB Rail Association has been established to support the Notified Bodies of the rail sector internationally, so the coordination of the full day meeting was under their guidance. The first part of the meeting reviewed recent developments, followed by a clarification of the TSIs and the tasks they will require to be amended in the context of digital rail and green freight. The rest of the day was spent discussing the problems of the various logbooks

Two of our colleagues (Linda Liszi and Dávid Pál) represented our company at the event. Both of them emphasized that a face-to-face meeting enables a lot more interaction, as it allows for questions/concrete issues to be raised that an online meeting would not have time for. Such events are a great opportunity to develop and effectively maintain international relationships.

Since its establishment, RailCert Hungary Kft. has been supporting organisations whose activities are in line with our approach to social responsibility. In 2022, we made donations to two foundations; the Surgeons for Children Foundation and the “Keep me alive” programme of the Fejér County Organisation for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

The Department of Paediatric Surgery and Traumatology I. of the Heim Pál National Institute of Paediatrics will use our support in various ways. Part of the funding will be used to purchase equipment for their department and part will be used for training hospital staff.

The objectives of the national programme “Keep me alive” of the Fejér County Organisation of the Blind and Visually Impaired are in harmony with the professional principles of our company, as we pay special attention to the accessibility of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility in the railway sector. We are proud to have been able to support two of the programme’s objectives as a Principal Sponsor; the establishment of a private clinic for people with disabilities and the employment of people with limited working capacity.

We hope that our philanthropy will serve as an example and guide for all those involved in the rail industry, since it is good to be good.

All the staff of RailCert Hungary Kft. wishes you a peaceful and blessed holiday season!

The main line no 135 Békéscsaba-Szeged is of major importance as part of the national railway core network . RailCert Hungary Kft. has carried out its certification tasks for three subsystems, as a result of which on 3 October 2022 it issued EC (NoBo) and NR (DeBo) Intermediate Statements of Verification (ISVs) for the Energy (ENE), Infrastructure (INF) and Track-side Control-Command and Signalling (CCS) subsystems.

The conformity assessment procedure for the ENE subsystem has been carried out for the general design (authorisation) phase. The overhead contact line to be installed will be designed to feed electric traction vehicles with a maximum speed of 160 km/h over the open line tracks.

Infrastructure subsystem improvements include: the on-site reconstruction and drainage of the main tracks of Szeged railway station and the modernisation of stations and stops on the line. The entire line is planned to be built with a 225 kN axle load, using a 54-system superstructure for the main and open line tracks at stations.

In the CCS subsystem, the planned equipment includes a new counter-train between Szeged-Személy-Szeged-Kecskés, a new D-55 signal-controlled safety device with axle counter occupancy detection at Szeged-Kecskés, Szeged-Rókus, Kútvölgy and Székkutas, and at Csorvás and Telekgerendás stations. At Békéscsaba station, the connection of the new line equipment to the local electronic signalling system and the integration of the new D55 signalling system at Szeged-Rókus station into the Szeged KÖFI centre were also part of the project within the above mentioned subsystem.

Our company, as an independent Certification Body, has issued the necessary Intermediate Statement of Verification for all three subsystems, thus contributing to the future successful renewal of one of our country’s long-established railway lines.

After the InnoTrans event in Berlin, it was a busy September for our employees, who represented RailCert Hungary Kft. in meetings organised by NB Rail all over Europe. The members of the International Association for Railway Interoperability meet three times in a year, for all subsystems, to find professional answers/solutions to issues and potential problems in the sector within a legal framework. The face-to-face meetings took place in Austria, Italy and Slovakia for the subsystems Infrastructure (INF), Control-Command and Signalling (CCS), Energy (ENE) and Rolling Stock (RST).

After more than one and a half year of waiting – on 7th September 2022. Erika Huschek-Juhász and Ágota Szilvási had the chance to meet the INF section of the decades-old NB-Rail Coordination Group in Vienna for a full-day meeting. During the meeting, future amendments to the TSIs (Technical Specifications for Interoperability) were discussed, as well as specific cases and difficulties of assessment arising from the differences between railway lines and stations built in the EU Member States.

On 13th September 2022. (also) in Vienna, our colleagues Linda Liszi and Dávid Pál were invited to the CCS technical working group session. At the meeting, the members of the different organisations present (e.g.: Strategic/Plenary meeting; AsBo coordination group; NB-Rail, etc.) reported on the topics they had been working on in the past period. This was followed by a clarification of technical issues that the participants in the association have been faced with in relation to their conformity assessment activities; such as the verification of train detection systems as part of CCT subsystems; train detection and hazard point; undated references in the CCS TSI; MIR approval issues; difference between ‘shall/should’; approval of CCT subsystem under MIR; certification of modified system elements; change of CCO; ENE TSI requirement for trackside control-command and signalling; acceptance of safety assessments of CCS subsystems and ICs; Applicability of route.

In the Energy (ENE) subsystem, the ENE sub-group meeting was held on 27th September 2022. in Rome, where our company was represented by two of our colleagues, Ágota Szilvási and Dávid Pál. During the meeting, the changes of the upcoming amendment of the Energy TSI were reviewed and implemented in the draft text of the relevant legislation, and then the professional issues that some members of the association had in their conformity assessment activities were clarified. Among the topics discussed were the protection against electric shock in DC and AC overhead contact line approaches, the applicability and exemption of requirements in case of subsystem upgrade or renewal, the qualification of low-speed overhead contact line IC, the assessment of harmonics and dynamic effects in AC traction power supply systems, and the assessment of objects not covered by the ENE subsystem.

On 29th September 2022. the 62nd meeting in the field of Rolling Stock (RST) took place in Zilina, in which Gergely Halász from our company participated. The meeting was of special importance, as it was the first since the appearance of the COVID, where experts could discuss current problems in person. After addressing the outstanding issues from the previous meeting, the new and amended Recommendation for Use (RFU) documents issued by NB-Rail, which will soon enter into force, were presented.

Our company has always been committed to build and maintain international relations. Therefore, it was of utmost importance that our old and new colleagues could get to know the experts of the European NoBo organisations and that they could be informed at first hand about all important decisions and legislative changes concerning rail interoperability. We believe that our up-to-date knowledge enables us to provide our Clients with credible support in all areas of rail and we are therefore happy to travel anywhere in Europe!

InnoTrans 2022, the major event of the European transport industry, was held in Berlin at the end of September 2022. Our company, RailCert Hungary Ltd. also participated in this prestigious event

Our company aims to strengthen and expand its worldwide relations and cooperation, therefore an international agreement with the Italian RINA Services S.p.A. was signed at the Berlin Fair. In the future, the companies will be the first to provide mutual facilities for carrying out railway cyber certification activities in accordance with the CLC/TS 50701:2021 standard.

With the development of the digitalisation of rail transport, cybersecurity in the sector will also require increased attention. The European Union is working in several areas to fight against cybercrime and to enhance cyber protection. These efforts are setting new cybersecurity-centric requirements for the rail sector, which will create a safer digital space for rail operators.

The aim of RailCert Hungary Ltd. is to introduce and establish the railway cyber certification field in Hungary for its future partners, by fully complying with all relevant requirements.

On 12th September 2022., RailCert Hungary Ltd. issued Intermediate Statements of Verifications (ISV-s) for the Infrastructure (INF), Energy (ENE) and Control-Command and Signalling (CCS) subsystems for NIF Nemzeti Infrastruktúra Fejlesztő Zrt. who acting as the Authorised Representative of the Applicant (MÁV Zrt). In the project, we carried out the EC (NoBo) and NR (DeBo) certification procedures for the railway line section Füzesabony-Eger-Felnémet and related facilities in order to obtain the necessary construction authorisation.

The project consists of 17 km of continuous single-track electrified track along this part of line. Within the project, the aim is to restore speeds to v=100 km/h between Füzesabony and Eger (on sections with slow signals due to track conditions) by maintaining the present geometry and rebuilding locally. At the Eger station, the currently operating key-locking device is being upgraded, and the maintenance of the line protection elements is already scheduled. Upgraded maintenance of the overhead line network and overhead line renewal works on the railway line 87a Füzesabony (excl.) – Eger (incl.) will be done.

On this section, our Company has carried out the conformity assessment of the upgraded and newly constructed facilities for all subsystems, resulting in the issuance of Intermediate Statements of Verifications (ISVs) for both NoBo and DeBo.

RailCert Hungary Kft., as an independent certification organisation, is involved in a number of large-scale projects in Hungary, thus contributing to Hungary’s railway development programme.

Among our projects currently being carried out, there are some which, due to their size, cover a separate subsystem or contain a unique solution in one of their elements, unique in the history of the Hungarian railways. These include the Southern Connecting Rail-Danube Bridge Modernisation (in Hungarian:”DÖVH”) project, the first milestone of the Southern Circular Railway, which will be built over the Danube on three railway tracks. Within Budapest, there has not been a comparable railway investment for decades, and this will be exceeded in the near future by the triple track upgrading project between Budapest Ferencváros and Kelenföld. In the framework of the present project, a new (third) superstructure has been constructed, and the existing two superstructures have been replaced and the substructure/superstructure elements have been modified as necessary. Our Conformity Assessment activities focused on the structural requirements of the proposed single span, multi-span steel truss bridge. Closely linked to the project schedule, the EC (NoBo) and NR (DeBo) certification procedures were carried out for the inclusion of limited service level traffic, separately assessed according to the construction of the bridge structures. We also carried out the verification of the conformity and suitability for use of the installed system components, as well as the relevant subsystem requirements. Before issuing the Intermediate Statement of Verification, our experts participated in the static and dynamic test loads required for the placing in service of the structures.

Our next and final task is to carry out the Conformity Assessment procedures and issue the certificates required for the authorisation for placing in service.