ApBo and DeBo?

What is a ApBo and what is a DeBo?

The Railways (Interoperability)(Amendment)(EU Exit) Regulations 2019 amended the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011 (RIR 2011), which transposed EU Directive 2008/57/EC on the interoperability of the European rail system (‘the Interoperability Directive’).

The Directive 2016/796/EC on the Interoperability of the Rail System within the Community defines the essential requirements needed to ensure the interoperability for the European Railway Network. There are two essential roles you need know if RIR apply to your project. They are ApBo and DeBo, but what does it mean? And what is their role?

Both Bodies are approved by the Secretary of State in accordance with the minimum requirements set out in Schedule 8 of RIR 2011.?

A UK Approved Body or ApBo (equivalent to the EU's NoBo) provides independent certification at specific stages in the project lifecycle as to whether a structural subsystem conforms to required NTSNs. These stage can be Design, Construction, Placing in Service, Upgrading, etc. The ApBo undertakes assessment of the conformity of the applicable nation rules on the project and produces a Certification of Verification (CoV) following the assessment results.??Although it is optional in the Regulations, it is expected the ApBo to produce Intermediate Statements of Verification (ISVs) for each project stages prior to the final CoV.?

A Designated Body or DeBo is an additional independent third party, appointed to assess and verify conformity of projects with National Technical Rules (NTRs) in the United Kingdom (equivalent to the EU's NNTRs). This can be the entire railway system or sub-system from design to final testing. The assessment phase is similar to the requirements from the ApBo which include documentation review and assessment as well as audits and witness testing. The DeBo will produce a Certificate of Verification to confirm compliance with national rules as well as a DeBo report.?

#StayTuned for more information with respect to NTSNs and NTRs and check out our previous blogpost here!

In the meantime, if you need help working with your ApBo and DeBo and providing the information they require to compile their Technical Files, which are a deliverable to the ORR, then #LetsTalk.