ETCS and Radio System Compatibility (ESC/RSC)

Even a successful certification process cannot always exclude that, when an on-board CCS subsystem interacts with a trackside CCS subsystem, one of the subsystems repeatedly fails to function or perform as intended under certain conditions. This may be due to variance in national control-command and signalling equipment (e.g. interlockings), engineering and operational rules, deficiencies in the specifications, different interpretations, design errors or equipment being installed incorrectly.

Therefore, checks might need to be carried out to demonstrate the technical compatibility of the control-command and signalling subsystems in the area of use for a vehicle. The necessity of these checks should be considered as a temporary measure to increase the confidence on the technical compatibility between the subsystems. The possibility of executing those checks in a laboratory representing the trackside configuration to be made available by the Infrastructure Manager should be prioritized.

ETCS System Compatibility

ETCS System Compatibility (ESC) shall be the recording of technical compatibility between ETCS onboard and the trackside ETCS part of the CCS subsystems within an area of use.

An “ESC type” is the value assigned to record the technical compatibility between an ETCS on-board subsystem and a section within an area of use. All sections of the Union network which require the same set of checks for the demonstration of ESC shall have the same ESC type.

Radio System Compatibility

Radio System Compatibility (RSC) shall be the recording of technical compatibility between voice or data radio on-board and the trackside GSM-R parts of the CCS subsystems.

An “RSC type” is the value assigned to record the technical compatibility between a voice or data radio part of the on-board subsystem and a section within an area of use. All sections of the Union network which require the same set of checks for the demonstration of RSC shall have the same RSC type.

More information about ESC/RSC definitions and the related procedures can be found in the CCS TSI Application Guide.

ESC/RSC Technical Document

The Agency shall set up and manage in a technical document the set of checks “ESC/RSC types” to demonstrate the technical compatibility of an on-board subsystem with the trackside subsystem. The link to the latest version of this document can be found below.

Infrastructure Managers, with the support of the ETCS and/or GSM-R suppliers for their networks, shall submit to the Agency the definition of the necessary checks (as defined in CCS TSI section 4.2.17) on their network by 16 January 2020 at the latest.

For submitting the ESC-RSC, please send it to us by esc-rscera [dot] europa [dot] eu (e-mail).

The Agency will assign a unique identifier to each ESC/RSC type which will be communicated to the Infrastructure Manager. The corresponding identifiers will be also included in the predefined lists of values to be selected in RINF and ERATV.

The latest version of the files with the definition of the checks corresponding to each ESC and RSC types submitted by each Infrastructure Manager can be found in the following links:

• ETCS System Compatibility documents
• Radio System Compatibility documents

Infrastructure Managers shall classify the lines according to ESC/RSC types in RINF, using the provided identifier.

ERATV users shall also include the ESC/RSC types that have been checked for the vehicles, using the identifiers in the technical document.

Infrastructure Managers shall submit to the Agency any changes on the referred checks for their networks, by using the same esc-rscera [dot] europa [dot] eu (e-mail) and making reference to the modified ESC/RSC type.