Directive on railway safety (recast)

Scope

Establishes the EU legal framework for railway safety under the 4th Railway Package: development and management of safety, common safety targets and methods, safety management system requirements, and the single safety certificate issued by ERA or national safety authorities. It defines the safety responsibilities of railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and entities in charge of maintenance, and governs national safety authorities' supervision and accident investigation arrangements.

Directive (EU) 2016/798, the railway safety directive of the Fourth Railway Package, establishes the EU legal framework for developing and managing railway safety, requiring railway undertakings and infrastructure managers to operate a safety management system covering their own activities and those of contractors, suppliers and other parties under their control. It sets common safety targets and requires the Commission to adopt common safety methods -- for risk evaluation, safety management system requirements, monitoring and conformity assessment -- that give a harmonised methodology for demonstrating safety performance across Member States. The Directive establishes the single safety certificate, issued by the European Union Agency for Railways or, for undertakings operating only within one Member State, by the national safety authority, replacing the previous system of separate national safety certificates. It also defines the powers and independence requirements of national safety authorities and of the national investigating bodies responsible for accident and incident investigation, including their duty to issue safety recommendations. Entities in charge of maintenance of railway vehicles fall within its scope through the certification system it establishes, linking maintenance assurance directly to the overall safety management framework.