Business sectors

In 2024, CLC/TC 9X ‘Electrical and electronic applications for railways’ will work on a key standard: EN 50738 ‘Railway applications - Environmental and climatic conditions for railways’, which defines interface conditions with the environment.

This standard is crucial for railway stakeholders, as it will help them anticipate growing climate change impacts affecting railway infrastructure and operations. It will allow infrastructure managers, manufacturers, and operators to adapt their operations and products based on a wide range of climate and environment parameters: altitude, temperature, humidity, air movement, rain, snow and hail, ice, solar radiation, lightning, pollution for rolling stock and on-board equipment (mechanical, electromechanical, electrical, electronic), fixed electrical installations, equipment for signalling, and telecommunications.

CEN/TC 278 ‘Intelligent Transport Systems’, and in particular its Working Group 3 (Public Transport), is revising a series of standard related to Transmodel and NeTex series, aiming to enhance data exchange interoperability among diverse stakeholders in public transport. These activities seek to address the existing challenges associated with the need for interoperability between various data models employed by different participants in the public transport ecosystem. The new deliverables will include the development of a glossary for public transport, which aims to assign a consistent term to each concept used in the field.

To strategically support data exchange coordination activities, a back-office group involving all major public transport stakeholders will address the challenges due to the revision of a Technical Specification for Interoperability, explicitly focusing on ticketing and passenger-related information. In particular, this group will gather feedback from businesses on specifications for implementing and exchanging timetable and tariff data.

Finally, following the approval of the Standardization Request on automatic number plate recognition in support of Directive (EU) 2019/520, CEN/TC 278’s Working Group 1 (Electronic Fee Collection) will start the standardization work on the revision of three standards.

HYPERLOOP

CEN/CLC/JTC 20 ‘Hyperloop systems’ will finalize prEN 17930 ‘Hyperloop Systems Aspects - Reference Architecture’. This standard specifies the reference architecture for a hyperloop system and, more precisely, the functions of each (sub)system, to define the purpose of each block and its different possible implementations, and highlight how the (sub)systems support each other. Transportation system interfaces will be listed, whether internal or external. This characterization will consider the technical as well as operational features of the transport service.

RAILWAYS

CEN/TC 256 ‘Railway applications’ will work on an important revision of the set of standards dedicated to axleboxes. Standards revised will include EN 12080 on rolling bearings, EN 12081 on lubricating greases, and EN 12082 on performance testing.

These standards are fundamental for railways manufacturers and operators: in particular, EN 12080 specifies the quality parameters of axlebox rolling bearings supporting the load of the vehicle; EN 12081 specifies the quality requirements of greases intended for the lubrication of axlebox rolling bearings according to prEN 12080; and EN 12081 specifies the principles and methods for a rig performance test of the system of axlebox rolling bearing(s), housing, seal(s) and grease.

This set of standards allows for the safe circulation of freight and passengers trains on the European network. It also supports the application of Directive 2016/797 on railways interoperability, in the framework of the Standardization request M/591 ‘Rail interoperability II’.

HYDROGEN VEHICLES

CEN/TC 268 ‘Cryogenic vessels and specific hydrogen technologies applications’ will work on the revision of EN ISO 17268-1 ‘Gaseous hydrogen land vehicle refuelling connection devices - Part 1: Flow capacities up to and including 120 g/s’ in the framework of Standardization Request M/581 ‘Alternative fuels infrastructure II’ to support the upcoming EU Regulation replacing Directive 2014/94/EU.

ROAD VEHICLES

CEN/TC 301 ‘Road vehicles’ will work on the development of several standards on the conditions and protocols for the safe repair and re-use of modules and batteries of road vehicles, in the framework of Standardization Request M/581 ‘Batteries’ in support of Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.

SMALL CRAFT

CEN/TC 464 ‘Small Craft’ and ISO/TC 188 will focus on to the completion of the EN ISO 12217 series, comprising three essential components related to 'Stability and Buoyancy Assessment and Categorization,' alongside EN ISO 10240, which deals with the owner's manual.

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS

Newly created CEN/TC 471 ’Unmanned Aircraft Systems’ will finalize part 3 and 4 of its 4709 series of standards: EN 4709-3 ‘Aerospace series - Unmanned Aircraft Systems - Part 003: Geo-awareness requirements‘ and EN 4709-4 ‘Aerospace series - Unmanned Aircraft Systems - Part 004: Lighting requirements’.