Guidance: Rail interoperability: current national technical rules

NTRs can perform several functions, such as:

• making a provision for country or network-specific cases
• filling in open points identified in the national technical specification notices (NTSNs)
• setting requirements to maintain technical compatibility with existing assets that do not conform to the requirements of NTSNs

Background

Under Regulation 3C of the Railways Interoperability Regulations 2011, the Secretary of State for Transport must publish a list of all national technical rules (NTRs) applying in the United Kingdom and the list must, where appropriate, specify the notified national technical rule (NNTR) that an NTR replaces.

These are the lists of NTRs for infrastructure and vehicles that replace the lists of NNTRs previously notified to the Commission by the Secretary of State.

Related documents

• Exclusions from the Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011
• Railway interoperability: National Technical Specification Notices (NTSNs)

Updates to this page Published 21 July 2011 Last updated 22 July 2024 + show all updates 22 July 2024 National technical rules for infrastructure: infrastructure based train detection interface requirements issue 3.2 (GKRT0028) and G 3.1.7 guidance added.

22 March 2024 Infrastructure list updated: GCRT5021 track system requirement standards added, appendices A to H have been withdrawn and out-of-date reference in GMRT2173 (issue 4 size of vehicles and position of equipment) removed.

15 January 2024 In the infrastructure rules, GIRT7073 has been amended to remove an incorrect reference. There is no change to the vehicle rules.

4 August 2023 GIRT7073 entry amended to include requirements relating to cross-wind adjustments and structure gauge considerations. Other rules listings were updated to replace references to TSI with references to NTSN.

15 March 2023 Updates made to GLRT1210 and GMRT2111 to reflect recent technical changes made.

20 December 2022 Updated entries for GERT8073 in both lists plus GKRT0028 (infrastructure) and GMRT2173 (vehicles).

20 September 2022 Updated entries for GMRT2173 and GIRT7020 to alter their issue numbers and reflect wider changes made to both.

15 July 2022 Information updated confirming that no changes have been made in the June to September 2022 period.

31 March 2022 Updated entry for GMRT2161 to replace reference to TSI with reference to NTSN.

10 February 2022 Updated entry for GMRT2111 to identify the NTR that addresses specific case 7.3.2.16.

15 December 2021 Updated references in vehicle rules listing to correct minor error related to the in-force date of the Railway Group Standard – GMRT2400.

13 October 2021 Updated references in vehicle and infrastructure rules listing to align with GB legislation and included additional guidance where required.

9 July 2021 Vehicle and infrastructure rules listings have been amended to change requirements relating to route compatibility assessment, change technical requirements related to AWS and TPWS signalling systems, replace some references to EU legislation, and to correct other minor errors.

18 May 2021 Vehicle and infrastructure rules listings amended to introduce upper gauges, passenger and locomotive gauges, and to update requirements on technical compatibility.

31 December 2020 Updated guidance in line with Railways (Interoperability) Regulations 2011, as amended for EU Exit.

21 October 2019 Vehicle and infrastructure rules listings amended to incorporate new UK Specific Cases, introduced in the 2019 technical specifications for interoperability revisions. Reference points for Railway Group Standards corrected.

16 January 2019 Vehicle rules amended to transfer requirements relating to infrastructure to infrastructure rules. Infrastructure rules amended to remove, correct and change standards where they have been withdrawn, notified against wrong TSI parameters, reissued or