In line with the above, NB-Rail’s Coordination Group main purpose is to discuss matters relating to the application

• of the relevant TSIs
• of the procedures for assessing conformity or suitability for the use of interoperability constituents,
• of the procedures for the verification of subsystems.

Usually such matters are identified by notified bodies, product manufacturers, railway undertakings, infrastructure managers or national safety authorities when actively applying the Interoperability Directive (EU) 2016/797 or the TSIs.

In order to avoid these matters to become an unnecessary technical or economic burden during the NoBo assessment or where such matters could lead to unacceptable divergence of approach by different notified bodies, NB-Rail Coordination Group will establish as result of their discussions

• recommendation, guidelines and working documents to ensure a uniform application of the current technical provisions of the applicable legislation as established by the European Commissions, or
• will communicate their discussion findings to the European Commission in cases where the current technical provisions of the applicable legislation as established by the European Commissions should be reviewed or improved.
• NB-Rail Coordination Group further publishes answers to frequently asked questions

To accomplish the tasks described above, the following meeting organisation has been established within NB-Rail Coordination Group:

1. Plenary meetings
2. Strategy meetings
3. Subgroup meetings for INF, ENE, RST and CCS

The NB-Rail Coordination Group is supported in its tasks by the European Commission through an administrative and a technical secretariat.

In summary the activities of NB-Rail Coordination Group are aiming for a continuous improvement at the provisions for application of Directive (EU) 2016/797 or the TSIs to make railway products as safe and efficient as required by EU legislation.

According to the requirements contained in (EU) 2016/797 Art 44 and 30.6, (EC) No 765/2008 Art R30 & R17(11) and the Blue Guide 2016 (5.2.2&5.2.4) all notified bodies shall participate either directly or indirectly in the NB-Rail meetings and must in any case apply all NB-Rail recommendations, guidelines and working documents.

The official Rules of Operations of the NB-Rail Coordination Group have been endorsed by the RISC 77 (Railway Interoperability and Safety Committee) on the 9th of November 2016.

You may contact NB-Rail via your notified body of choice or via the NB-Rail technical secretariat under technical-secretary@nb-rail.eu.

All NoBos shall participate in the NB-Rail Coordination Group activities (at least to the plenary meetings, and also to the technical subgroups if desired), in order to keep themselves updated with the NB-Rail Coordination Group outcomes and therefore address the above mentioned uniformity purpose; this principle is stated in two points of Decision (EC) No 768/2008 (dealing with the common framework for the marketing of products):

• point 11 of article R17 states “Conformity assessment bodies shall participate in, or ensure that their assessment personnel are informed of, the relevant standardization activities and the activities of the notified body coordination group established under the relevant Community harmonisation legislation […]”;
• point R30 states “Member States shall ensure that the bodies notified by them participate in the work of that or those group or groups, directly or by means of designated representatives.”

NB-Rail has the following tasks:

• to issue recommendations containing common understandings and best practices in line with the european legislation concerning EC verification procedures for subsystems and EC conformity assessment or suitability for use of interoperability constituents;
• where NB-Rail Coordination Group considers that TSIs and related application guides are not sufficiently clear, NB-Rail Coordination Group should produce questions for clarification to be addressed to the European Commission.