National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 50617‑2:2024. It supersedes BS EN 50617‑2:2015, which which will be withdrawn on 18 April 2024.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee GEL/9/1, Railway Electrotechnical Applications - Signalling and communications.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 October 2024.

This European Standard was approved by CENELEC on 23 September 2024. CENELEC members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CENELEC member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CENELEC member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CENELEC members are the national electrotechnical committees of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and United Kingdom.

European foreword

This document (EN 50617‑2:2024) has been prepared by CLC/SC 9XA “Communication, signalling and processing systems” of CLC/TC 9X “Electrical and electronic applications for railways”.

The following dates are fixed:

This document supersedes EN 50617‑2:2015 and all of its amendments and corrigenda (if any).

EN 50617‑2:2024 includes the following significant technical changes with respect to EN 50617‑2:2015:

Annex D: new informative annex for intermodulation effects potentially affecting the compatibility limits for Rolling Stock

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CENELEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document is Part 2 of the EN 50617 series, which consists of the following parts under the common title “Railway Applications - Technical parameters of train detection systems”:

Part 1: Track circuits;
Part 2: Axle counters.

Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national committee. A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CENELEC website.

Introduction

The working group SC9XA WGA4-2 has developed the limits for electromagnetic compatibility between rolling stock and individual train detection systems, specifically track circuits and axle counter systems and correspondingly published two technical specifications CLC/TS 50238‑2 and CLC/TS 50238‑3. These limits and associated measurement methods are based on preferred existing systems (as defined in CLC/TS 50238‑2 and CLC/TS 50238‑3) which are well established and still put forward for signalling renewals by infrastructure managers.

To meet the requirements for compatibility between train detection systems and rolling stock in the future and to achieve interoperability and free movement within the European Union, ERA/ERTMS/033281 defines the relevant parameters for compatibility of rolling stock with track circuits and axle counter systems.

The train detection systems, track circuits and axle counters are an integral part of the CCS trackside subsystem in the context of the Rail Interoperability Directive. The relevant technical parameters are enumerated in the CCS and LOC&PAS TSI and ERA/ERTMS/033281. ERA/ERTMS/033281 specifies the relevant parameters for rolling stock for compatibility with the infrastructure. This document covers all relevant technical parameters of train detection systems (axle counter) in a manner that provides a presumption of conformity with interoperability requirements, but is not limited to interoperable lines. This document refers whenever needed to ERA/ERTMS/033281. Although the demand for FrM is driven by Interoperability requirements, it is independent from the drive to introduce systems like ERTMS level 3 or level 2.

This document is based on the current understanding of the railway experts represented at WGA4-2 that track circuits and axle counter systems will continue to be the essential two train detection systems for the foreseeable future.

The published specification EN 50592 can be used to ascertain conformity of rolling stock with the FrM presented in ERA/ERTMS/033281.

The published specification CLC/TS 50238‑3 can be used to ascertain conformity of rolling stock with existing individual axle counter detectors.

In this document, the defined parameters are structured and allocated according to their basic references as follows:

axle counter system parameters;
train based parameters;
track based parameters;
environmental and other parameters.

Where possible, the parameters as defined are consistent with other European Standards.

Each parameter is defined by a short general description, the definition of the requirement, the relation to other standards and a procedure to show the fulfilment of the requirement as far as necessary. An overview of the safety relevance of each parameter is given – in the context of this document – in a separate table.

1 Scope

This document specifies parameters for the design and usage of axle counter systems.

For this, this document specifies the technical parameters of axle counter systems associated with the magnetic field limits for RST in the context of interoperability. In addition, test methods are defined for establishing the conformity and the performance of an axle counter detector.

This document is intended to be used to assess compliance of axle counter systems and other forms of wheel sensors used for train detection, in the context of the European Directive on the interoperability of the trans-European railway system and the associated technical specification for interoperability relating to the control-command and signalling track-side subsystems.

This document can also be used for axle counter systems installed on lines which are not declared as interoperable (including metro and tram lines).

For wheel sensors and wheel detectors in other applications than axle counters but using the same sensors on the rail and detection circuits, transient and continuous interference can be considered as equivalent to axle counter detectors or axle counter sensors.

Under interoperability, the frequency bands and rolling stock emission limits are currently defined in the axle counter FrM as specified in the ERA/ERTMS/033281 document.

2 Normative references

3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations

3.1 Terms and definitions

3.2 Abbreviations

4 Description of train detection system

5 Safety relevance per parameter

6 Axle counter system parameters

6.1 RAMS

6.2 Immunity against magnetic fields – in-band and out-of-band

6.3 Immunity to traction and short circuit current in the rail

6.4 Immunity to harmonics of traction current in the rail

6.5 Sensor position integrity control (functional parameter)

6.6 Integration time

6.7 Signalling power supply quality with respect to availability

6.8 Requirements on the connection cables

7 Requirements for axle counter systems based on train parameters

7.1 General

7.2 Vehicle, wheel and speed dependent parameters

7.3 Material properties of vehicle parts in the detection area (metal free space)

7.4 Sinusoidal sway of train

7.5 Magnetic track brakes and eddy current brakes

8 Track based parameters

8.1 Material of sleepers

8.2 Rail fittings/mounting area

8.3 Slab track

8.4 Other rails installations

9 Environmental and other parameters

9.1 General

9.2 Pressure

9.3 Movement of surrounding air

9.4 Ambient temperatures

9.5 Humidity

9.6 Precipitation

9.7 Protection Level (IP)

9.8 Solar radiation

9.9 Overvoltage protection (incl. indirect lightning effects)

9.10 Pollution

9.11 Fire protection

9.12 Vibrations / shock

9.13 EMC

9.14 Definition of Influence from other components

Bibliography

BS EN 50617-2:2024

Railway applications. Technical parameters of train detection systems for the interoperability of the trans-European railway system - Axle counters

Current

Published:

31 Oct 2024