TUV Rheinland adds rail-safety service

TUV Rheinland of North America in Newtown has brought its parent company”™s guided transport systems division to Newtown to conduct independent safety assessments of North American railroad and transit operations ”“ especially for manufacturers that want to export railroad systems and equipment to Europe.

“Many North American rail suppliers are interested in becoming global players,” said Thomas Rettig, division manager of the new division, which offers a variety of specialized safety-related professional services to the transit and railroad industries. European rail safety standards require independent safety assessments such as those TUV Rhineland offers in order to enter the market. The company foresees the need for third-party assessments and consultation in North America, which does not yet mandate the independent assessments.

“Service providers and manufacturers have been investing in new technologies and equipment, such as state-of-he-art signaling, automatic train control and rolling stock systems to keep pace with growing demand,” Rettig said.

TUV Rheinland”™s Newtown headquarters has 10 offices around the country, and in Canada and Mexico. The new division serves federal and state governments, railroad organizations, passenger rail operations and manufacturers of rail components and subsystems.