Regulatory advisory · Rail vehicle certification

Diagnosis, treatment,
a safe railway on the right track

We guide railway operators, owners and lessors through the authorisation and recertification of their vehicles — from a regulatory diagnosis to a Type Authorisation issued by UTK and ERA.

2
Type Authorisations issued by UTK
6
E6ACTd locomotives authorised for service
2
Vehicle owners served
UTK + ERA
We run both authorisation routes
Diagnosis

Where the railway hurts

Getting a vehicle into service breaks on the rules, not on the engineering. The most common symptoms that leave rolling stock stranded in a siding:

Symptom 01

Modernisation = a new authorisation

A GSM-R or ETCS retrofit, or a design change, can trigger the need for a new Type Authorisation. Easy to miss — and to immobilise the vehicle.

Symptom 02

Two routes, one goal

UTK and ERA, national rules and TSIs, the 4th Railway Package. Choosing the right route decides months of difference.

Symptom 03

Documentation that doesn't add up

Gaps in the dossier, diverging assessments by bodies (NoBo / DeBo / AsBo), unclear interpretations. The most common cause of delays in proceedings.

Treatment

What we do

We take on the entire regulatory side — from strategy to the decision in hand. You handle the rolling stock, we handle the authorisation.

/ 01

Vehicle Type Authorisation

We run the full process of authorising a vehicle type for placing on the market — from compiling the dossier, through liaison with UTK and ERA, to overseeing the assessment.

Vehicle Type AuthorisationTSI
/ 02

Recertification after modernisation

Modernisations — GSM-R or ETCS retrofits, design changes — require reassessment. We take the vehicle through the authorisation update without unnecessary downtime.

GSM-R / ERTMSVehicle change
/ 03

Regulatory advisory

Interpretation of TSIs, national rules and the 4th Railway Package. We pick the route that is fastest and most reliable for the specific vehicle.

4th Railway PackageCSM-RA
/ 04

Handling the case before UTK and ERA

Representation in proceedings, responses to requests, coordination with assessment bodies. One point of contact instead of paperwork chaos.

UTKERA (OSS)
Therapy path

How it works

Four stages, one outcome — a vehicle with a valid authorisation back on the tracks.

01 — Diagnosis

What the rule really requires

A review of the documentation and the vehicle status. We determine whether the modernisation actually triggers a new authorisation.

02 — Plan

Choosing the route

UTK or ERA, scope of assessment, bodies, schedule and risk budget. Strategy before the first letter.

03 — Treatment

Proceedings

Compiling the dossier, working with the assessment bodies, managing correspondence and responses to requests.

04 — Recertification

Back on the tracks

Authorisation issued, vehicle in service. You keep documentation ready for the next changes.

Track record

Vehicles back in play

Two Type Authorisations for a single E6ACTd locomotive type and two different owners — six vehicles authorised for service in total. Plus the cases we are running now.

E6ACTd
Freightliner PL · 5 locomotives

Type Authorisation and authorisation to place the vehicles on the market after upgrading radio communication to the GSM-R standard — with a full risk assessment and change management.

Type Authorisation · UTK · 26.02.2026EIN PL8020260067ERA · 06.03.2026
Authorisation granted
E6ACTd
Railpolonia · 1 locomotive

Type Authorisation for a locomotive of the same type, a different owner, after a GSM-R upgrade. Coordination with the vehicle owner and the manufacturer.

Type Authorisation · UTK · 20.02.2026EIN PL8020260054
Authorisation granted
303E
HSL Polska

Type Authorisation after modernisation — a case currently run on the same proven pattern.

Case in progress
In progress
The project was delivered on time and with due diligence. The team showed a high level of technical knowledge and effectiveness in running the authorisation process, as well as a proactive approach to solving problems. Recommended as a reliable partner.
Freightliner PL Sp. z o.o.Technical Director
A comprehensive vehicle type authorisation project, following the radio upgrade to VHF 150 MHz and GSM-R, ran smoothly and without unnecessary delays. The high level of expert knowledge and effectiveness in running complex formal and technical processes stands out.
Railpolonia sp. z o.o.Company representative
Benchmark

How long type authorisation really takes

We hold data no one else publishes — a stage-by-stage breakdown of real type authorisations. Two parallel, fully comparable cases (the same vehicle type, the same VHF → GSM-R upgrade, the same notified body) show where the bottlenecks really are. The data is presented aggregated and anonymised.

143–164
days — type authorisation time across two comparable cases
5 mo.
statutory KPA deadline — exceeded in one case
17–52
days — median time to close a single objection (spread across cases)
6
identical objections raised in both cases — room to reuse assessment

Throughout this time the vehicle is out of service, and every further locomotive of the same type waits again — the cost of immobilised assets grows with each unit of the fleet. That is why we measure the process and shorten it wherever possible.

For whom

Who we work with

Railway operators

Keeping fleet authorisations valid and getting rolling stock back in service quickly after changes.

Owners & lessors

ROSCOs and vehicle holders — the value of rolling stock depends on a valid authorisation.

Manufacturers & workshops

Support in certifying new types and modernised vehicles.

Documents

Proof on paper

Decisions by the President of UTK, the ERA authorisation to place vehicles on the market, and client references. EIN numbers can be verified in the ERATV/ERADIS registers. Full documents are available for review on request.

UTK Type Authorisation — E6ACTd · Freightliner PLApplication V-20250915-019 · EIN PL8020260067 · 26.02.2026
ERA Placing vehicles on the market — 4× E6ACTd · Freightliner PLApplication V-20260304-010 · OSS · 06.03.2026
UTK Type Authorisation — E6ACTd · RailpoloniaApplication V-20250930-018 · EIN PL8020260054 · 20.02.2026
REF Reference — Freightliner PLReference letter · 17.03.2026
REF Reference — RailpoloniaReference letter · 19.03.2026

Full documents and reference letters are available for review on request.

Consultation

Let's get your vehicle back on the tracks

Describe the vehicle and the planned change — we'll tell you whether a new authorisation is needed and the fastest route to take.

E-mail
biuro@railmed.eu
Address
ul. Wąchocka 1F/11
03-934 Warsaw, Poland
Management Board
Cezary Cieńkowskicezary@railmed.eu
Rafał Stańczykrafal@railmed.eu