TÜV NORD has tested newly-designed double-decker passenger carriages in the context of the national approval procedure on behalf of railway vehicle manufacturer Bombardier Transportation. The tests carried out included particularly complex technical areas such as functional safety and fire protection.
As of mid-December, the new double-decker carriages will be deployed in Deutsche Bahn Intercity trains. Bombardier Transportation is providing, carriages of the BOMBARDIER TWINDEXX Vario brand, referred to by DB as Intercity 2, alongside BOMBARDIER TRAXX locomotives from the 146.2 DB series. TÜV NORD has now completed the tests for the national approval procedure. “The development of the double-decker carriages has been in full compliance with the Vehicle Safety Policy of the Federal Railway Authority and offers a degree of safety and diagnostic capability that significantly exceeds anything hitherto seen in passenger trains,” said project director Hans Vallée, TÜV NORD, on the conclusion of the tests.
The prerequisite for national approval was the fulfilment of all the requirements of the administrative regulations for the granting of operating licences (VV-IBG), which require the assessment of double-decker carriages in some 20 categories. TÜV NORD assumed responsibility for the verification in seven of these areas of expertise, including the particularly demanding fields of functional safety and fire protection.
“The integration report for the train protectionsystem and train radio communication presented a particular challenge, since we only had a few weeks for the final assessments. During this time our experts reviewed the documentation and carried out extensive practical tests,” Vallée explained. With particular regard to the tests on the vehicles, TÜV NORD was able to confirm that the safety of the type Do2010 double-decker carriages was consistent with the operational rules and regulations.
As an associated partner of Eisenbahn-Cert, TÜV NORD was also able to confirm that the vehicles satisfied the European requirements pursuant to the Safety in Railway Tunnels technical specification (TSI SRT) as well as the requirements of the domestic tests. The collaboration with Eisenbahn-Cert likewise met all the deadlines in the approval process.
The granting of approval by the Federal Railway Authority allowed the transfer of vehicles from Bombardier Transportation to the operator to commence. The first training courses in the use of the new vehicles are already underway.
About TÜV NORD GROUP
With over 10,000 employees, TÜV NORD GROUP is one of the largest technical service providers, offering its advisory, service and inspection expertise in over 70 countries throughout the world. Areas of activity include Industrial Services, Mobility, IT and Training. TÜV NORD GROUP occupies a unique position in the sector based on its work in the fields of natural resources and aerospace and is firmly committed to its guiding principle and watchword: “Excellence for your business”.