Introduction
Sir Peter Parker, Chairman of the British Rail Board in 1976–1983, famously said that ‘railways tend to fall down on their interfaces’. System Interface Committees (SICs) are senior cross-industry technical groups. Currently, there are six SICs, which help the railway industry manage these interfaces in an effective, safe, and cost-efficient way.
SICs act at a strategic and tactical level by identifying opportunities, commissioning studies, and championing research findings. They evaluate solutions and make recommendations in the best interest of the railway as a whole. Their recommendations inform decisions and standards.
Visit the RSSB website for further information on SICs.
The Vehicle/Train Control & Communications System Interface Committee (V/TC&C SIC) provides expertise and strategic knowledge on vehicle/train control systems, telecommunications, and signalling issues on behalf of the industry.
The committee’s remit includes:
European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS)/European Train Control System (ETCS)
legacy train protection systems
train detection (but excluding the geometry of the wheel-rail interface)
train location and positioning systems (terrestrial and satellite)
selective door operation
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
Global System for Mobile Telecommunication – Railways (GSM-R)
Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS)
fixed and mobile communication systems for operational and commercial purposes
control, command and signalling (CCS) asset management
CCS Defect Recording Analysis and Corrective Action System (DRACAS)
traffic management (including driver advisory systems and degraded mode control system [DMWS])
automatic train operation.
V/TC&C is made up of representatives from passenger train operators, rolling stock owners and leasing companies, freight and other non-passenger train operators, infrastructure managers and owners, suppliers and rolling stock manufacturers, and academia. There is one representative from RSSB. Observers from the Department for Transport and Office of Rail and Road are invited to attend.
V/TC&C SIC has seven subgroups:
Driver Advisory Systems Board (DAS Board)
Electromagnetic Compatibility Subgroup (EMC SG)
Future Communications and Positioning Systems Advisory Group (FC&PS AG)
FRMCS & GSM-R Guidance Subgroup (FGG SG)
National Defect Recording, Analysis and Corrective Action System Group (N DRACAS G)
Train Control Technical Sub-Group (TCTSG)
Train Protection Strategy Group (TPSG)
We are looking for new members to join the National DRACAS Group. There are further opportunities to get involved in individual projects – see below or contact Roisin Mulvany, Lead Industry Group Manager:
Roisin.Mulvany@rssb.co.uk
Further information on V/TC&C SIC’s work is available on the RSSB website.
Many SIC activities are guided by and support the Rail Technical Strategy, which is made up of five functional priorities and three critical enablers. We have indicated which priority or enabler an activity supports using the following icons.
