Rail interoperability: National Technical Specification Notices (NTSNs)
UK railway technical standards, known as NTSNs, have replaced EU technical specifications for interoperability (TSIs).
National Technical Specification Notices (NTSNs)聽set standards for parts of the rail system in relation to:
- design
- construction
- placing in service
- upgrading
- renewal
- operation and maintenance
They also cover the professional qualifications and health and safety conditions of the staff who contribute to its operation and maintenance.
NTSNs are published by the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to regulation 3B of the聽.
The first editions of the 11聽NTSNs聽for Great Britain (GB) were published on 1 January 2021.
Following a substantial聽NTSN聽revision exercise, which was informed by an聽, we published updated editions of 7聽NTSNs聽on 2 May 2025. They apply in聽GB听辞苍濒测.
A new NTSN, specifically for Northern Ireland, was published on 12 June 2025.
The 12聽NTSNs聽 are:
- Safety in Railway Tunnels (SRT)
- Control Command and Signalling (CCS)
- Operation and Traffic Management (OPE)
- Infrastructure (INF)
- Energy (ENE)
- Rolling Stock 鈥� Locomotive and Passenger (LOC and PAS)
- Rolling Stock 鈥� Noise (NOI)
- Rolling Stock 鈥� Freight Wagons (WAG)
- Accessibility (ACC) (formerly called Persons with Reduced Mobility (PRM))
- Telematics Applications for Passenger Services (TAP)
- Telematics Applications for Freight (TAF)
- Northern Ireland (NI)
The Modules聽NTSN聽replaces and substantially reproduces requirements found within聽聽on modules for the procedures for assessment of conformity, suitability for use and聽EC聽verification to be used in the technical specifications for interoperability.
罢丑颈蝉听NTSN聽concerns the assessment of interoperability constituents against聽UK-specific cases, including the further assessment of interoperability constituents which hold an聽EC聽declaration of conformity or suitability for use and sets out the procedure that must be followed in accordance with聽.
The Department for Transport (DfT) worked with聽RSSB聽to create the聽GB NTSNs.