General Guide for the Application of TSIs

Scope

ERA's non-binding application guide explaining the structure, scope and common provisions of all TSIs under Article 19(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/796, including deficiencies, non-application cases, specific cases and the link to Interoperability Directive (EU) 2016/797 subsystems. First edition of the upgraded guide reflecting the 4th Railway Package and the 2023 TSI package; the subsystem-specific application guides are annexes to it. A primary reference for applicants, NoBos, NSAs and suppliers applying TSIs in authorisation and certification processes.

ERA's General Guide for the Application of TSIs is the Agency's non-binding application guide explaining the common structure, scope and shared provisions of every Technical Specification for Interoperability, prepared under Article 19(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/796. It covers concepts that apply across all TSIs -- including how deficiencies in a TSI are handled, the conditions under which non-application of a TSI can be justified, the treatment of specific cases reflecting national or geographic particularities, and how TSIs relate to the subsystems defined in the Interoperability Directive (EU) 2016/797. As the first edition of the upgraded guide reflecting the Fourth Railway Package and the 2023 TSI revision package, it serves as the umbrella document to which each subsystem-specific application guide (for CCS, Infrastructure, Operation, and others) is effectively an annex, providing subsystem-level detail within this shared conceptual framework. Applicants for authorisation, notified and designated bodies, national safety authorities and suppliers use it as their first reference when interpreting how the TSI framework as a whole applies to a given project, before consulting the more detailed subsystem-specific guides. Version GUI/TSI/2023, dated 20 December 2023, is the current edition.