The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) is an
agency of the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
(EU) that sets mandatory requirements for European railways and manufacturers in the form of
Technical Specifications for Interoperability
A technical specification for interoperability (abbreviated as TSI) is a text provided for in European Directive 2016/797 adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on the interoperability of the European rail system ...
(TSI), which apply to the
Trans-European Rail system The Trans-European Rail network is made up of the Trans-European high-speed rail network as well as the Trans-European conventional rail network. The rail network is one of a number of the European Union's Trans-European transport networks (TEN- ...
. The ERA publishes a document summarising the status of the TSIs.
The ERA sets common safety targets, common safety methods and common safety indicators, following Directive 2004/49/EC and amendments. The ERA also hosts a number of databases, among which a register of remaining, applicable national rules.
History
![ERA Logo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/ERA_Logo.png)
The agency was established in 2004 as part of the
Second Railway Package
The Second Railway Package is a group of European Union legislation which promote common standards and open access, working towards an integrated European railway area.
History
For much of the 20th century, rail transport in Europe was dominate ...
, and commenced operations in 2006 as the European Railway Agency (ERA). It changed its name in 2016, becoming the European Union Agency for Railways. The acronym ERA is still used to refer to the agency after the renaming, even by the agency itself.
See also
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Rail transport in Europe
Rail transport in Europe is characterized by its diversity, both technical and infrastructural. Electrified railway networks operate at a plethora of different voltages AC and DC varying from 750 to 25,000 volts, and signaling systems vary from ...
*
European Rail Infrastructure Managers
European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM) is a sector association that represents the interests of European rail infrastructure managers. Members consist of owners/managers of infrastructure from most European/European Economic Area, EEA countrie ...
Notes
External links
European Railway Agency website
Agencies of the European Union
Transport and the European Union
Rail transport in Europe
2004 establishments in France
2004 in the European Union
Government agencies established in 2004
International organizations based in France
Valenciennes
Transport organizations based in France
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