The Technical Framework of the European Railway Sector: on track to an interoperable railway system

Since 1991, the European railway sector has been consistently reformed by the European Union through a series of ongoing and evolving legislation. Most notably, several railway “packages” were crafted with the intention of constructing both a more efficient, competitive and sustainable railway system, as well as establishing the Single European Railway Area (SERA). A key outcome of these developments is the technical regulatory framework set out in the Railway Interoperability and Safety Directives and supported by the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs), Common Safety Methods (CSMs) and European Standards (EN).