Guidance

UK implementation plan for the infrastructure TSI

Updated 31 December 2020

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Executive summary

Introduction

1 Under article 9 of Commission Regulation (EU) No 1299/2014 of 18 November 2014 on the technical specifications for interoperability (TSI) relating to the ‘infrastructure’ subsystem of the rail system, member states are required to prepare a national implementation plan describing their actions to comply with the TSI in accordance with section 7 of the annex.

2 Section 7 of the TSI says the following:

Implementation of the implementation of the infrastructure TSI

Member states shall develop a national plan for the implementation of this TSI, considering the coherence of the entire rail system of the European Union. This plan shall include all projects subject to renewal and upgrade of infrastructure subsystems, in line with the details mentioned in points 7.1 to 7.7 here below.

3 Member states shall send their national implementation plan to the other member states and the commission by 31 December 2015.

4 This document forms the UK’s plan for the implementation of the infrastructure TSI. Projects that are subject to the interoperability authorisation process in the UK are expected to comply with this TSI subject to the use of any applicable UK specific cases. This plan does not cover issues relevant to the implementation of the PRM TSI as a separate plan is being prepared. This plan should not be read in isolation as the UK has also submitted an implementation plan for the energy TSI. In some cases the implementation plan for the Infrastructure TSI cross refers to other work streams which are ongoing. The final outputs from these other pieces of work are likely to help inform the future development of this plan and the application of the TSI.

UK specific cases

5 Appendix Q of the TSI contains a table of UK- GB specific cases (table 47). The TSI also includes explicit permission for the UK to continue to use a different system of assessment for bridge and vehicle load classification. This is written into the main text of the TSI and therefore does not appear in the list of specific cases.

New lines

6 Section 7 of the TSI says:

New lines

7.1. Application of this TSI to railway lines Sections 4 to 6 and any specific provisions in points 7.2 to 7.6 here below apply in full to the lines within the geographical scope of this TSI, which will be placed in service as interoperable lines after this TSI enters into force.

7.2. Application of this TSI to new railway lines

(1) For the purpose of this TSI a ‘new line’ means a line that creates a route where none currently exists.

7 Where new lines are created in the future, the intention is that they should be built to be fully compliant with the infrastructure TSI that is applicable at that time, without the need for applying the UK specific cases. However, this intention is subject to further detailed review. In the case of the proposed new high speed line linking London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds (HS2), we are still considering the appropriate platform height.

Upgrade and renewal work in the UK and the application of the infrastructure TSI

8 Section 7.2 of the TSI says:

(2) The following situations, for example to increase speed or capacity, may be considered as an upgraded line rather than a new line:

(a) the realignment of part of an existing route,

(b) the creation of a bypass,

(c) the addition of one or more tracks on an existing route, regardless of the distance between the original tracks and the additional tracks.

9 Under article 2 (m) of the 2008 interoperability directive (2008/57/EC) upgrading work is defined as:

upgrading” means any major modification work on a subsystem or part subsystem which improves the overall performance of the subsystem.

10 Section 7.3.1 of the TSI provides one example of when a line is considered to be upgraded:

The infrastructure subsystem of a line is considered to be upgraded in the context of this TSI when at least the performance parameters axle load or gauge, as defined in point 4.2.1 are changed in order to meet the requirements of another traffic code.

11 The TSI also says in section 7.3.1 that for other TSI performance parameters member states decide to what extent the TSI needs to be applied to the project. The approach that the UK will take in terms of implementation is that other types of work that do not involve changes to the parameters for axle load or gauge could also be considered as upgrade work as long as the general definition of upgrade in the interoperability directive is met so that the performance of the subsystem is improved. One example could be a significant increase in line speed as this work could also be classified as upgrade if the modification work improves the overall performance of the subsystem.

12 It is also possible that some upgrade work includes work on the parameters axle load or gauge and the overall performance of the subsystem is improved but this is not in order to meet the requirements of another traffic code. The traffic code reference in the TSI is not directly relevant to UK projects as we don’t use the same system for load or gauge classification as the rest of the EU.

13 Where possible it is intended to minimise the number of individual authorisations for upgrade and renewal work to avoid unnecessary burdens for applicants. This will be a matter for the national safety authorities to consider in conjunction with the infrastructure projects.

14 Regulation 12 of the 2011 interoperability regulations makes provision for the department to produce a list of projects that are projects or types of projects for upgrade or renewal. Although this will not be an exhaustive list covering all projects, such a list will help provide more certainty to projects about the need to seek an authorisation and apply the requirements of the relevant TSIs, including the infrastructure TSI. The department is liaising with Network Rail and the ORR about the production of this list.

15 The TSI says:

7.3.2 Renewal of a line

(1) In accordance with Article 2(n) of Directive 2008/57/EC, ‘renewal’ means any major substitution work on a subsystem or part subsystem which does not change the overall performance of the subsystem.

(2) For this purpose major substitution should be interpreted as a project undertaken to systematically replace elements of a line or a section of a line. Renewal differs from a substitution in the framework of maintenance, referred to in point 7.3.3 below, since it gives the opportunity to achieve a TSI compliant route. A renewal is the same case as upgrading, but without a change in performance parameters.

16 Under regulation 13 of the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, all projects for upgrade or renewal work are able to seek a decision from the Department for Transport about the need for an authorisation and the extent to which the TSI is to be applied. This plan (and any list produced under regulation 12 of the regulations) does not impact upon their ability to use this provision in the regulations.

Platform height

17 The UK - GB has a specific case of 915mm for the height of platforms. This value is given in the relevant Railway Group Standard (RGS), GI/RT7016, rather than being written into the text of the TSI. The general UK approach is to make use of this specific case for upgrade and renewal work. There are ongoing discussions between the UK and the Commission about the possible future development of the TSI in relation to platform heights to better enable level access.

Gauge for vehicles

18 The UK has a specific case for gauge due to the legacy systems that are in place on the network. The UK has recently started to develop a set of passenger vehicle ‘gauges’ for the GB mainline which cover the upper and lower sectors above and below a 1100 mm boundary from the rail. New fixed equipment is required to comply with the lower sector infrastructure gauge (LSIG) for the ‘Lower sector’, below 1100 mm above the rail. The requirements for infrastructure in the ‘Upper sector’ are more complex, as it depends whether it is a new line or a new structure on an existing line.

19 Network Rail are considering the development of a gauge strategy which will consider the benefits and potential means for the implementation of these standard gauges for passenger vehicles. It is possible that this strategy will define an aspirational gauge cleared network based on future service aspirations. This would enable infrastructure projects to consider options for gauge clearance of the network. It is intended that the conclusions of a ‘Freight network study’ (PDF, 10.4MB) being undertaken by Network Rail on freight gauges will also be summarised in the Gauge Strategy. This will also inform infrastructure projects to consider options for gauge clearance for freight as well as passenger vehicles.

20 Infrastructure projects should consider not only how they can comply with the Infrastructure TSI and relevant RGSs, but also whether there is an opportunity to carry out work which may enable future enhancements along a route rather than treating their work as site specific. This might facilitate the future electrification of a route, for example, through track lowering or raising bridges, or enable larger vehicles to be used on the route in the future if the gauge were increased as part of the initial enabling work.