Certifer
Belgien

Certifer Belgorail is an inspection and certification body founded in June 2004 to cover the need for voluntary and regulatory certification in the rail sector.

Belgorail’s founders were Vinçotte (inspection, certification, testing and measurement services), Transurb (an engineering consultancy that also provides services from technical experts and engineers) and Agoria (Federation of Belgian Industries in the sector).

ACTIVITIES

Certification services

We offer diverse certification services for both technical products and management systems.

Directive on the interoperability of the rail system in the European Union

• Conformity Assessment: We assess interoperability components and conduct „EC“ verifications for railway systems in accordance with European Directive (EU) 2016/797.
• National Technical Rules Compliance: We certify railway system components and subsystems according to National Technical Rules when Technical Specifications for Interoperability are absent or do not cover certain technical aspects, in cases of deviations.

Railway Safety Directive

• Maintenance Management System Certification: We certify maintenance management systems for entities responsible for the maintenance of rolling stock in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/779 (ECM) and for maintenance functions. This includes, among other things, the certification of maintenance workshops. For freight wagons, we offer the option to combine the ECMF IV audit with an FTB evaluation from the VPI European Rail Service (VERS).

Management Systems Certification

• ISO 9001 certification: We offer voluntary ISO 9001 certification for the quality management systems of railway-related organizations. This can be combined with the certification of maintenance systems for freight and passenger vehicles under Regulation (EU) 2019/779. Certifer Belgorail is accredited for ISO 9001 certification in rail-related sectors.

Our Certification Process

Our management system certification process follows a 5-stage plan:

• Request for Certification: Clients describe the scope and context of the desired certification. We provide forms to collect the necessary data.
• Evaluation and Offer: Based on the information provided, we draft a tailored offer, including an evaluation plan with details on the certification audit and associated surveillance during the certification cycle.
• Audit: Stage 1 (Evaluates readiness for certification and includes a documentary audit or identification of changes. Typically performed in our offices, but may require a site visit) and Stage 2 (On-site evaluation of conformity with the standard or directive. An audit report is generated for each part).
• Certification Decision: Based on the Stage 2 audit report and collected evidence, the certification committee decides on granting the certificate. The certificate’s validity can range from 1 to 5 years, depending on the certification scheme.
• Surveillance and Renewal

Inspection

Certifer Belgorail provides on-site inspections and technical visits for rolling stock and infrastructure, either at the client’s request or during ownership changes and new registrations.
We also inspect historic rolling stock used on tourist routes within the Belgian rail infrastructure.
Additionally, we verify conformity and inspect special on-track plant to ensure compliance with national regulations before commissioning.

Arrangement of tests

Certifer Belgorail organizes and coordinates various tests to ensure rolling stock or its components are compatible with rail infrastructure and comply with European and national legislation. We have direct access to the Belgian and Luxembourg rail networks (Infrabel and CFL-GI respectively). In other countries, we conduct tests with the support of local partners.
A list of available tests can be provided upon request.

Independent Assessment

Independent Safety Assessor

Certifer Belgorail acts as an Independent Safety Assessor (ISA), evaluating Safety Systems based on standards EN 50126-1, EN 50126-2, EN 50128, and EN 50129. This evaluation focuses on signalling (track-side or on-board equipment) and software, ensuring systems meet Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety (RAMS) requirements. This service benefits designers, manufacturers, and users of new systems, ensuring their products comply with RAMS standards.

Assessment body with respect to Common Safety Methods or CSMs

Certifer Belgorail also serves as an independent Risk Management Assessment body under European Regulation 402/2013/EU, relating to the Common Safety Method (CSM) for risk assessment as per the Railway Safety Directive (CSM-RA). This regulation is applied during significant changes impacting safe operations, when required by Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs), or to ensure technical compatibility in the absence of TSIs or national rules. This service is relevant to rail system companies, infrastructure managers, maintenance entities, and manufacturers of rolling stock or other railway equipment.

Other

Any other mission involving assessment of conformity, inspection or verification of constituents, products, subsystems or operations in the rail transport arena on a voluntary request basis.
Monitoring the construction of new rolling stock, monitoring the manufacture of constituents or monitoring the quality of works in projects involving conversion of existing equipment.
Certifer Belgorail can also assess fire protection systems deployed in railway complexes and tunnels. These assessments are based inter alia on applicable requirements in the fire protection field.

Certifer Belgorail Documents

The following documents may be downloaded:

General Terms and Conditions of Sale : 00_8202_EN_01 General conditions of Sales

Términos Generales y Condiciones de Venta : 00_8202_ES_01 Condiciones generales de venta

Conditions générales de vente : 00_8202_FR_01 Conditions Générales de Vente

Algemene verkoopsvoorwaarden : 00_8202_NL_01_Algemene verkoopvoorwaarden

Technical conditions for inspection and certification : 00_8201_EN_02_Technical conditions for inspection and certification

Conditions techniques d’inspection et de certification : 00_8201_FR_02_Conditions Techniques d’Inspection et de Certification

Condiciones técnicas para la inspección y certificación : 00_8201_ES_02_Condiciones técnicas para la inspeccion y certificacion

RFU & Q&C – NB-Rail

The Recommendations for Use and Questions and Clarifications drawn up by the coordination group of Notified Bodies for Railway products and systems, NB-Rail, are available on their website (www.nb-rail.eu) and may be downloaded. These documents are regularly updated after NB-Rail Plenary meetings.