ICS & Hitachi Rail: Success in track safety

Success Story: Track safety that creates trust - ICS makes rail infrastructure safe, traceable and future-proof

Background: Safety where it counts - on the track

What does safety in rail traffic really mean?
Not just systems that work in the laboratory. But safety where it really counts: out on the track. Where trains run every day. Where people are on the move. Where technology, topography, climate, standards and operations come together.

Hitachi Rail supplies state-of-the-art signaling systems: powerful, modular, internationally applicable. They consist of central interlocking cores, operating units, field element control systems and track vacancy detection systems. However, a signaling system alone does not make a safe route. Only precise, data-supported safety verifications turn it into an approved railroad operation.

And this is exactly where our work begins.
ICS GmbH does not safeguard products - we safeguard rail operations.

Challenge: tracks as individual as a fingerprint

Every railroad line is unique:

• Signal positions, switch positions, track occupancy sections
• Speed profiles, curves, gradients, environmental conditions
• National approval bodies with different railroad laws, operating rules and
  interpretations of standards

A safety system that works on route A must be reassessed on route B. What sounds routine is actually a highly complex, safety-relevant overall analysis.

The task: ➡ Complete proof of safety for each individual route with no gaps: This system, under these conditions, works safely.

In regions with special environmental requirements - such as Norway - special detection systems are also used: avalanche and landslide detectors report potential dangers directly to the signaling system so that affected track sections can be automatically closed. Derailment detectors also help to prevent consequential damage at an early stage - for example, if only one axle jumps off the track and the fault initially goes unnoticed.

Context: The moment when safety becomes visible

For many years, rail safety was "felt" - experience, redundancy, robust technology. But
growing system complexity and European standardization (EN 5012x), this is no longer enough.

Authorities demand proof. And operators want certainty that what has been planned will work safely in an emergency.

This is where ICS comes into play: We take over the creation of individual track safety certificates for Hitachi Rail, tailored to operators, standards, systems - and the reality on site.

Who is Hitachi Rail?

Hitachi Rail is one of the world's leading full-range suppliers of railroad technology systems.
systems. As part of the Japanese technology group Hitachi Ltd. has decades of experience in the areas of rail vehicles for local, regional and long-distance transportation, electronic
regional and long-distance transportation, electronic interlockings, control and safety technology and digital mobility solutions.

With customers in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Hitachi Rail stands for reliability,
system integration and innovative rail infrastructure - both in high-speed traffic as well as in the local and regional sector.

ICS has been supporting Hitachi Rail for many years as a specialized partner for functional safety and track approvals, especially for complex international projects
with the highest normative requirements.

Solution approach: Customized work instead of standard solutions

Our safety starts with listening.
With a genuine interest in the track, its peculiarities and challenges.
We analyze, understand, question - and then put together an overall picture:

A digital image of reality.
An architectural model that combines technical logic and physical conditions.
A proof of safety that is not just correct on paper - but in operation.

We test, document and validate.
We translate complex systems into clear statements. For authorities. For operators. For
people who bear responsibility.

Our services:

• Complete operational data modeling (incl. signals, switches, topography,
  climatic factors)
• Hazard and risk analyses for each specific constellation
• Verification & validation of all safety functions
• Creation of the safety case - standard-compliant, audit-proof
• Presentation and coordination with authorities, operators and engineering teams

What is created in the process?
Not just a document. But a shared understanding of safety. Between technology and operation. Between manufacturers and authorities. Between people and systems.

Successes: When safety does not need to be discussed - because it is proven

Norway - safety benchmark for an entire country

Since 2012, Norway has been modernizing almost its entire rail network with technology from Hitachi. ICS accompanies every single line. We have prepared a complete safety certificate for each one.

The result:
✅ Smooth commissioning
✅ No safety-relevant incidents
✅ Praise and trust from the operator
✅ Award as construction project of the year (2023)

Finland - trust right from the start

ICS produced the country's first track safety certificate for the Helsinki ring railroad. A project with high frequencies, dense intersections and challenging geography.
ICS set the standards - technically and methodically.

Vital21 - Safety in a nutshell

A highly secure data transmission system for 1-5 km routes. From architecture to training: ICS developed, documented and validated - completely on its own responsibility, compliant with standards, auditable. A project that showed that security can also come from a single source - if you know how.

Results to be proud of

• Over 20 years of track safety expertise
• Hundreds of kilometers of track secured
• No safety-related incident
• Recognition from operators, manufacturers and authorities
• Confidence in processes, people and methodology
• ICS as an integral part of the Hitachi Rail approval chain

Conclusion: ICS is not in the spotlight - but always in the right place

We are not the ones who build the interlocking. We are the ones who understand how it works - and how to make it safe. The ones who verify, document and test - until everything fits. When you work with us, you get more than just a document. You get safety - technical, human, comprehensible.

When route safety is more than just a chapter in the project plan

🔍 Are you planning a track modernization project with Hitachi Rail or are you responsible for
for safety-critical infrastructure?
ICS has the experience, the expertise and the attitude that makes real safety possible.

📩 Talk to us.
We not only help you with approval, but also with safe operation.
➡ Get in touch now and take responsibility together.