The certification of rail vehicles and railway facilities is a process of conformity assessment of products and services used in the rail sector in Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union.
The purpose of the procedure is to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Technical Regulations concerning the safety of passengers and freight.
For certification in the railway sector in Russia, the independent notified bodies accredited by the Federal Institute for Railways (Roszheldor) are responsible. The notified bodies, using laboratory tests and expert opinions, verify that the products comply with the required safety standards.
On the basis of this review, railway and rail traffic supervisors may issue a declaration of conformity or a certificate.
Legal situation
As of August 2, 2014, three new technical regulations of the EUEA came into force:
- TR CU 001/2011 On safety of rail vehicles
- TR CU 002/2011 On Safety of High-Speed Railway Transport
- TR CU 003/2011 On Safety of Railway Transport Infrastructure
With the introduction of the new Technical regulations, a unified system of technical regulations - EAC certification and EAC declaration - was introduced in the EUEA for rail vehicles and railway facilities.
Already issued national certificates lose their legal validity no later than first of August 2016.
Area of application
The new Technical Regulations set requirements for rail vehicles and railway infrastructure in order to protect life, health, the environment, property and cargo. This includes:
- radiation protection
- biological safety
- explosion protection
- mechanical safety
- fire protection
- thermal safety
- chemical safety
- electrical safety
- electromagnetic compatibility
- uniformity of measurements
These items include in each of the 3 Technical Regulations a list of products which are subject to confirmation of conformity in the form of certification or in the form of a declaration of conformity.
The use of products in the area of rail transport without appropriate certification or declaration on Russian Railways, the Belarusian Railways or the Kazakh Railway is not possible.
Required documents
Depending on the product characteristics, the applied Technical Regulation or the certification scheme: for the serial production, single-production or single-supply, different documents are necessary. As a rule, the following documents are required:
- product documentation: drawings, technical data sheet, etc.
- technical passport
- operating instructions
- test reports from an accredited testing laboratory
- protocols of the manufacturing process audit
Procedure of conformity assessment
A proof of conformity with Technical Regulations is compulsory in the field of rail transport. This can take the form of a declaration of conformity or a certificate.
EAC Certification
EAC Certification according to TR CU 001/2011 On the safety of rail vehicles
| Process | Description |
|---|---|
| 1C | is intended for a limited number of rail vehicles. The EAC certificate is issued for 1 year. The samples are tested and a manufacturing audit is carried out. On the basis of test protocols, examination of technical documentation and results of the audit, the EAC certificate is issued. |
| 2C | is intended for a limited number of rail vehicles. The EAC certificate is issued for 1 year. The samples are tested and a manufacturing audit is carried out. On the basis of test protocols, examination of technical documentation and results of the audit, the EAC certificate is issued. |
| 3C | is intended for series production. The EAC certificate is issued for max. 3 years. The samples are tested and a manufacturing audit is carried out. On the basis of test protocols, examination of technical documentation and results of the audit, the EAC certificate is issued.
An inspection control has to be carried out every year. |
| 4C | is intended for series production. The EAC certificate is issued for max. 5 years. The samples are tested and a manufacturing audit is carried out. On the basis of test protocols, examination of technical documentation and results of the audit, the EAC certificate is issued.
An inspection control has to be carried out every year. |
| 5C | is intended for series production. The EAC certificate is issued for max. 5 years. The samples are tested and a manufacturing audit is carried out. On the basis of test protocols, examination of technical documentation and results of the audit, the EAC certificate is issued.
An inspection control has to be carried out every year. |
| 5C | is intended for a batch delivery. In this scheme samples are also to be tested. |
| 7C | is intended for a single delivery. In this scheme samples are also to be tested. |
EAC Declaration
EAC Declaration according to TR CU 001/2011 On safety of rail vehicles
| Process | Description |
|---|---|
| 1D | is intended for serial production. This scheme requires the type examination of product samples. Type examination of product samples is carried out by the manufacturer. |
| 2D | is intended for serial production. This scheme requires product samples to be tested by a laboratory accredited by the EAEU. |
| 3D | is intended for serial production. This scheme requires product samples to be tested by a laboratory accredited by the EAEU. |
| 4D | is intended for serial production. This scheme requires product samples to be tested by a laboratory accredited by the EAEU. |
| 5D | is intended for a limited number of rail vehicles. This scheme requires product samples to be tested by a laboratory accredited by the EAEU. |
The accredited testing centers are responsible for checking the conformity of products with the Technical Regulations of the EAEU.
The accredited testing centers carry out the necessary tests and analyses of the product documentation. The test and analysis protocols are then forwarded to the certification body. Based on these reports, the certification body decides whether a certificate is granted or denied.
This decision is to be taken no later than 15 working days after receipt of the test reports.
Declaration of conformity
In the case of a declaration of conformity, the manufacturer shall submit his own evidence of compliance with the Technical Requirements, including the technical documentation and test records of a notified body.
Manufacturing Process Audit
In the case of certification or declaration of conformity with the Technical Regulations, a manufacturing process audit is also necessary, if there is an increased risk from the products.
The manufacturing audit is carried out in the form of regular and unscheduled inspections with the aim of checking the production conditions.
After the analysis of the necessary documentation and the results of the audit, the notified body shall either declare or reject a certificate or declaration.
The conformity certificate is then entered in the uniform register of the EAEU.
The proof of conformity is valid from the date of entry into the uniform register for a maximum of 5 years.
The certificates of conformity for rail vehicles and railway systems may only be applied for by a company established in the territory of the customs territory, and an authorized representative within the EAEU is therefore required. If you need an authorized representative, we will be pleased to offer you a suitable company.
EAC mark in the field of rail transport
The rail vehicles which components and railway systems are to be clearly marked with warnings, which must be repeated in the operating instructions.
The EAC Mark is to be attached to the product as well as to the enclosed operating instructions and to ensure easy readability throughout the life of the product.
In addition to the EAC mark, the operating instructions must include the registration number of the conformity certificate, the date of issue and the period of validity.
The product itself should be marked with the following information:
- EAC mark
- name of the manufacturer
- product name
- date of manufacture
Railway products without corresponding marks are not permitted for use within the EAEU.
Authorized representative
If the producer doesn't have a location in the EAEU, it does not have the right to apply for a required conformity assessment of its products. In order to still be able to be the subject of a conformity assessment, the foreign producer must give a representative in the EAEU power of attorney. They will defend the interests of the foreign producer when working with the certifying bodies with regard to safety and quality of products and in accordance with technical regulations.
As the law stands and in accordance with the technical regulation of the economic union only an operator based in the territory may be named power of attorney.
Period of validity of EAC conformity assessment certificates
The validity period of the EAC certificate or EAC declaration for rail vehicles and rail infrastucture differs depending on the applied technical regulations, the selected scheme, the type of production (serial production, individual delivery, etc.) and equipment and ranges on average from one to 5 years. Those parameters are determined in the respective technical regulation.
Duration and costs for EAC certification
The duration and costs associated with an EAC certificate application for rail vehicles and rail infrastucture depend on several different factors, such as the classification of the product, any required laboratory checks and the complexity of all examinations. As such the exact conditions of the EAC certification are always determined individually based on the required documentation.
Please note that an application for an EAC certificate can takeseveral weeks to process.
Delivery of the documentation
If you order the EAC Certificate on rail vehicles and rail infrastucture, you will receive a copy of it via email immediately after our successful certification procedure. The original document and two certified copies will be sent by post.
