Railway Engineering Standards Summary – May 2025 (Part 2)

Looking back at May 2025, the Railway Engineering sector experienced a pivotal period of standards development, particularly for those navigating advances in urban transit, electrification, and operational safety. This month featured the publication of three highly consequential standards, each addressing core components shaping the future of modern railway networks: system architecture for urban guided transport, comprehensive requirements for power conversion in fixed installations, and functional safety frameworks for signalling systems.

For industry professionals—whether involved in compliance, engineering, procurement, or management—this in-depth monthly retrospective gathers essential information and analysis on standards released during May 2025, ensuring you remain well-informed of both technical advances and regulatory shifts.

Monthly Overview: May 2025

During May 2025, Railway Engineering standardization focused keenly on themes of systems integration, safety assurance, and harmonization across electrical infrastructures. Three influential standards—EN IEC 62290-3:2025, IEC 62590-1:2025, and IEC 62425:2025—were published, collectively reinforcing sector priorities in digitalization, efficient power management, and lifecycle safety compliance.

Relative to typical publication patterns, May stood out for its breadth of coverage: while the past often saw isolated domain-specific updates, this period’s standards reflect an integrative approach addressing entire systems—urban guided transport management, station-to-train control, and fixed electrification infrastructure. The resulting documentation signals a sector intent on breaking down interoperability barriers and accelerating the adoption of new safety and efficiency paradigms.

This month's standards highlight:

• Continued modernization of urban transit and signalling
• Harmonization of system requirements and interfaces for enhanced interoperability
• Increased emphasis on full lifecycle safety, from system design through decommissioning
• Reinforcement of energy efficiency and performance monitoring in electrical systems

Collectively, these publications reveal a maturing, increasingly interconnected approach to Railway Engineering, underscoring ongoing transitions toward automation, predictive maintenance, and cross-border compatibility.

Standards Published This Month

EN IEC 62290-3:2025 – System Requirements Specification for Urban Guided Transport Management and Command/Control

Full Title: Railway applications – Urban guided transport management and command/control systems – Part 3: System requirements specification

EN IEC 62290-3:2025 establishes the architecture and allocation of functional and system requirements for Urban Guided Transport Management and Command/Control Systems (UGTMS), crucial for urban passenger rail networks. This standard, part of the broader IEC 62290 series, is pivotal for cities adopting new lines or upgrading existing signalling and control—including automation levels from conventional (GOA1) through to fully unattended (GOA4) operations.

Within its scope, the standard details:

• UGTMS subsystem definitions and system constituents, as referenced in earlier series parts
• Mandatory and optional functional allocations for safe, efficient, and interoperable operation
• A system-wide blueprint for continuous data transmission, train protection profiles, and localization
• Guidance for transport authorities to specify baseline system descriptions in tenders and interoperability strategies

Professionals responsible for acquiring, specifying, or updating urban transit management systems will find this document essential, especially as cities target increasingly interoperable and upgradable solutions. It is also significant for suppliers, system integrators, and authorities responsible for ensuring system compatibility and maintainability across legacy and future deployments.

This second edition is a comprehensive technical revision, reflecting:

• Recent updates in the foundational IEC 62290-1 and -2 documents, including new and deprecated functions
• Enhanced descriptions of UGTMS’ external environment and relevant system interfaces
• Flexible options for functional and physical interface specification (FIS, FFFIS), underpinning supplier interoperability

Key highlights:

• System architecture guidance for new lines and retrofits of existing signalling/control
• Detailed allocation of core and optional functions to UGTMS subsystems
• Mandated interfaces and requirements for continuous data and localization

Access the full standard:View EN IEC 62290-3:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC 62590-1:2025 – General Requirements for Electronic Power Converters in Fixed Railway Installations

Full Title: Railway applications – Electronic power converters for fixed installations – Part 1: General requirements

IEC 62590-1:2025 provides a unified framework for specifying, designing, and testing electronic power converters used in fixed railway infrastructure. These converters are critical to the reliable supply of traction power for railways, metros, tramways, trolleybuses, magnetic levitation transport, and other electric transit systems.

Key aspects of this standard include:

• Comprehensive requirements for all converter types—AC/DC, DC, and AC—serving main power supply applications
• Detailed provisions for performance (environment, vibration, voltage/frequency tolerances, harmonics, losses/efficiency)
• Robust requirements for insulation coordination, electromagnetic compatibility, and mechanical design
• A thorough breakdown of testing protocols (type, routine, functional, load, and environmental)
• Special consideration for energy efficiency, duty cycles, and failure modes

With this edition, the IEC 62590 series has been restructured to differentiate between common (Part 1) and specialized (subsequent parts) requirements for various converter applications. IEC 62590-1:2025 also cancels and replaces previous standards (IEC 62589:2010, IEC 62590:2019), integrating up-to-date best practices in rail electrification.

Organizations responsible for design, procurement, or operation of fixed traction power installations—including railway engineers, asset managers, and suppliers—should incorporate these requirements to ensure conformity, equipment interoperability, and long-term system resilience.

Notable changes compared with prior editions:

• Clear interface models for different connected systems and converter types
• Segregation of requirements (e.g., insulation, energy efficiency) by circuit and configuration
• Updated focus on lifecycle energy efficiency and emerging power quality challenges

Key highlights:

• Unified definitions and requirements for stationary electronic power converters
• Emphasis on energy efficiency, insulation coordination, and testing
• Guidance for transition from earlier standards and legacy installations

Access the full standard:View IEC 62590-1:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC 62425:2025 – Safety Related Electronic Systems for Railway Signalling

Full Title: Railway applications – Communication, signalling and processing systems – Safety related electronic systems for signalling

IEC 62425:2025 is a foundational standard governing the lifecycle development, integration, and acceptance of safety-related electronic systems in railway signalling. Covering generic products, system classes, and specific applications, it sets global best practices for the functional safety assurance of signalling electronics—including both hardware and software (the latter via reference to IEC 62279 and related standards).

Scope and requirements include:

• Full lifecycle coverage: from architecture and requirements allocation to acceptance and modification
• Alignment with IEC 62278-1’s defined life cycle phases, ensuring harmonized risk and safety management
• Explicit processes for hazard log, safety case development, validation, and safety integrity level (SIL) allocation
• Incorporation of cybersecurity considerations as they impact functional safety
• Adaptability for upgrades, modifications, or the use of commercial off-the-shelf items as part of signalling systems

This edition emphasizes the importance of structured documentation, safety planning, and independent assessment, and provides robust methodologies for:

• Managing both systematic and random faults
• Achieving and justifying required SIL levels
• Acceptance pathways for legacy and novel systems, including independent assessment

Revisions from the first edition include:

• Improved cross-referencing to IEC 62278-1 lifecycle phases
• Dedicated requirements for safety acceptance, modification, and decommissioning
• Detailed handling of pre-existing (legacy) systems and safety-related tools
• Expanded guidance on cybersecurity threats and user-programmable integrated circuits (UPIC)

Key stakeholders are safety assessors, system integrators, regulatory agencies, and equipment manufacturers involved in the verification, validation, and acceptance of railway signalling equipment.

Key highlights:

• Updated requirements for end-to-end functional safety and system acceptance
• Enhanced provisions for safety case structure, lifecycle documentation, and reuse of pre-existing systems
• Recognition of cybersecurity’s growing role in functional safety

Access the full standard:View IEC 62425:2025 on iTeh Standards

Common Themes and Industry Trends

The standards published in May 2025 reveal several convergent industry trends:

• Systemic Modernization and Automation: Both EN IEC 62290-3:2025 and IEC 62425:2025 reflect a shift toward system-level thinking—integrating advanced automation, digital interfaces, and flexible architectures that support diverse grades of operation (GOA1-GOA4) and incremental upgrades.

• Safety and Security Integration: While functional safety remains paramount (as reinforced by IEC 62425:2025), there is a growing acknowledgment of cross-influences with cybersecurity, particularly as digital train control and management become more connected.

• Interoperability and Upgradability: All three standards address, either directly or by reference, the iterative nature of rail asset management—encouraging specification of interfaces and requirements that support modular upgrades and harmonized procurement.

• Energy Efficiency and Sustainability: IEC 62590-1:2025, in particular, prioritizes energy efficiency and power quality—a response to global sustainability drivers and increased operational scrutiny of railway electrification.

• Harmonization with International Practice: The standards reference European and international baselines (e.g., CENELEC, IEC), aiming for cross-border compatibility and common acceptance pathways, vital as international projects and fleets become more prevalent.

As a whole, these documents suggest the industry is moving rapidly toward greater digital maturity, robust safety management, and systems compatible with future technological advancements.

Compliance and Implementation Considerations

For organizations impacted by these standards, several compliance strategies and priorities emerge:

• Gap Analysis: Conduct a comprehensive review of existing systems and processes in light of new requirements (particularly for UGTMS architecture, power converter specification, and signalling safety case management).

• Systemic Planning: Emphasize cross-functional team involvement—including safety, engineering, procurement, and IT/security—in interpreting applicability and planning rollouts.

• Procurement and Supplier Management: Ensure that tenders and supplier contracts are revised to reference and require compliance with these new standards, leveraging the clear system requirements and interface definitions now provided.

• Training and Awareness: Develop targeted training for technical staff on changes in functional allocation (EN IEC 62290-3), energy efficiency and power quality (IEC 62590-1), and lifecycle safety evidence (IEC 62425).

• Phased Implementation: Prioritize retrofits or new projects that allow incremental integration of these requirements, especially in areas where partial upgrades are feasible (as allowed/encouraged by EN IEC 62290-3 and IEC 62425).

• Document Control and Lifecycle Management: Align technical documentation, testing, and acceptance criteria with new structural and lifecycle guidelines (especially critical for safety cases and verification).

• Timeline Considerations: Use the indicated dates for implementation at the national or organizational level, designing compliance roadmaps that allow for sufficient adaptation and validation time.

• Engage with Standards Bodies: Where interpretation is ambiguous or context-specific, proactively engage with national committees or industry forums to clarify the application of new requirements.

Getting Started:

• Access full texts via iTeh Standards for authoritative detail
• Utilize included bibliographic resources and annexes for guidance on application, test procedures, and risk analysis

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from May 2025

May 2025 marked a significant step for Railway Engineering, as three standards—EN IEC 62290-3:2025, IEC 62590-1:2025, and IEC 62425:2025—reinforced the sector’s drive toward integrated digital systems, assured operational safety, and sustainable electrification.

Professionals are encouraged to:

• Review and integrate these standards within system design, procurement, and safety assurance frameworks
• Prioritize cross-functional collaboration to interpret and implement the technical and procedural requirements
• Stay proactive about training, compliance, and engagement with evolving industry best practices

Staying abreast of these standards is critical not only for compliance, but also for maximizing operational efficiency, interoperability, and system safety in a rapidly evolving rail environment. Explore each standard in detail via iTeh Standards to ensure your organization remains ahead in both technical leadership and regulatory conformance.