A comparison of New European fire standards with UK standards and the impact on UK vehicle design

Abstract

The Rail Industry will soon be entering a new phase of rail vehicle design for fire safety as a result of the introduction of new European standards (EN) and requirements in technical specification for interoperability (TSI), which will replace national standards, such as British standards (BS) and Railway Standards and Safety Board group standards. The new standards and specifications are prEN45545, fire protection on railway vehicles, prEN50553, requirements for running capability in case of fire on board rolling stock, safety in railway tunnels TSI, high-speed rolling stock TSI, and conventional rail TSI. The standard and specification changes have a big potential impact in fire safety management of vehicles in the United Kingdom. This article describes changes identified to date, examines their impact on passenger vehicle design and validation requirements, and identifies further work requirements by: (a) giving an overview of current fire safety requirements; (b) describing in some detail the fire safety requirements described in the new standards, including categorization, materials fire performance test methods and requirements, fire resistance requirements, design requirements, fire detection and suppression requirements, requirements for transport of flammable liquids, and requirements for running capability in the event of a fire; (c) discussion on changes in approach which are required as a result of working to the new standards, and changes in vehicle design that may be necessary; (d) work still in progress required to allow close out of current issues. The article concludes that since materials fire performance requirements have not yet been fully investigated, no comment can be yet made concerning whether the performance of trains based on new standards is expected to be equivalent to trains built to current fire safety standards.