Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Write to us at:

Report on the Fire Protection Day 2023

CURRENTA CONFERENCE ON SAFE RAIL TRANSPORT IS BACK

The Rail Vehicles Fire Protection Day 2023 took place live at CHEMPARK Leverkusen for the first time in four years.

For manufacturers of rail vehicles, components and materials, the Rail Vehicle Fire Protection Day is a must-attend annual event in German-speaking countries. This is because everyone meets at the CURRENTA conference in Leverkusen to discuss new safety requirements, technical trends and current test procedures and to maintain their professional network.

At first glance, the normal world of the Federal Railway Authority with all its documents, abbreviations and “official speak” seems like a bureaucratic monster that has fallen out of time. The “dry matter” presented by Johannes Driller from the Bonn-based federal authority at the CURRENTA Fire Safety Day on 16 November is an important pillar for ensuring that rail is one of the safest means of transport, far ahead of road transport.

For Michael Halfmann, the fire protection standards and high European safety requirements in the rail transport sector are an important business basis for CURRENTA Brandtechnologie, which he manages at the Flittarder plant section of CHEMPARK Leverkusen. “I am delighted that we are meeting live again for the first time in four years and that CURRENTA can welcome around 150 participants from Germany and abroad to Baykomm Leverkusen, despite the rail strike,” emphasised the initiator of the Rail Vehicle Fire Protection Day. “Even though we as a testing laboratory do not produce our own products or even means of transport, our expertise in analytics is in demand when it comes to fire protection and, for example, the complex evaluation of toxicity in order to bring the required safety to the railway,” added Laboratory and Operations Manager Alexander Kuchner. Over the course of 20 years, the annual Rail Vehicle Fire Protection Day has developed into one of the most important fire protection meetings in the German-speaking public transport community. This was also reflected in the diverse programme for manufacturers and suppliers of rail vehicles, testing laboratories and government agencies on 16 November.

On the way to rail vehicles with increasing safety levels

After the Federal Railway Authority had given an overview of current changes to the TSI (Technical Specifications for Interoperability) and fire technology requirements, Helmuth Kleinöder used his presentation time to show how Alstom has developed its own fire risk analysis system for rail vehicles within the framework of the legal guard rails. It is characterised by the fact that it brings all areas together in order to both exchange experiences and jointly assess risks.

Fire tests ensure passenger protection

The European harmonised standard EN 45545 for fire protection in rail vehicles has personal safety as its primary protection objective. The fire tests presented by Alexander Kuchner and Sebastian Schulz in accordance with EN 45545-2, which materials installed in passenger trains, for example, have to withstand in the CURRENTA laboratories, were explicitly committed to this objective. After all, safe evacuation is only possible if every passenger has sufficient time and space to leave the train in good time before a fire spreads.

In their tandem presentation, Alexander Kuchner (left) and Sebastian Schulz (right) focussed on the requirements, assessments and challenges of fire protection tests for rail vehicles.

Standards as an export hit

Philip Gallandi from the DIN standards committee for track and railway vehicles was convinced that the European fire safety standards are so good that they could also become the global standard. If national and structural hurdles can be overcome, barriers to trade can be minimised and the level of safety increased.

Green drives on the rise

Megatrends such as hydrogen and battery technology were addressed by Tolga Wichmann from TÜV SÜD Rail, who is currently still observing a lack of suitable standards, which are encountering a variety of technical solutions, for example in the construction of batteries. In addition, the risks involved in transporting electric bicycles also need to be taken into account.

Large safety discrepancy between bus and train

Dr Anja Hofmann-Böllinghaus’s research findings on fire protection in buses caused even more astonishment, if not a frown. In contrast to rail transport, there is a lack of further-reaching safety regulations in terms of passenger safety. In the past decade in particular, the scientist from the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) has noted that there have been a number of bus fires with numerous fatalities as a result. It was only when a bus depot burnt down, causing millions of euros worth of damage, that insurers started asking questions and drew attention to the current weaknesses in fire protection in buses. The Fire Protection Day for Rail Vehicles shows that the knowledge and safer products are also available for bus transport. A standardised development or transfer of the fire protection requirements from rail transport to the bus sector would lead to a considerable improvement in the level of safety.
The most common causes of fire in buses do not match the fire safety regulations from the 1960s that are still in force today, which were based primarily on the risk of fire from smokers in buses.

The speakers and the programme

16 November 2023

Speakers

Philip GALLANDI

DIN Standards Committee for Track and Rolling Stock, Berlin

Michael HALFMANN

Currenta, Analytics / Fire Technology, Leverkusen

Dr.-Ing. Anja HOFMANN-BÖLLINGHAUS

Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Berlin

Helmuth KLEINÖDER

Alstom, Kassel

Alexander KUCHNER

Currenta, Analytics / Fire Technology, Leverkusen

Sebastian SCHULZ

Currenta, Analytics / Fire Technology, Leverkusen

Johannes Driller

Federal Railway Authority, Bonn

Tolga WICHMANN

TÜV SÜD Rail, Berlin

Programme

10:00

Welcome (HALFMANN)

10:10

Updating the TSI and fire technology requirements for the vehicle fleet (DRILLER)

10:40

Fire hazard analysis for rail vehicles – objectives and limits (KLEINÖDER)

11:10

Coffee break

11:40

Fire protection in rail vehicles according to EN 45545-2
Requirements, test methods, assessments and challenges (KUCHNER, SCHULZ)

12:30

Normative developments in fire protection for rail vehicles. EN 45545 – from Europe to the world?
(GALLANDI]

13:00

Discussion, followed by lunch break with snacks

14:30

Fire safety of buses, transferability of EN 45545 (HOFMANN-BÖLLINGHAUS)

15:00

Fire protection features of alternative energy storage and generation systems
(WICHMANN)

15:30

Closing remarks, followed by the opportunity for further discussion in the foyer

16:30

End of the event

Tour of the fire technology

Those with a special interest had the opportunity to visit the testing facilities in CURRENTA’s fire test centre. This will also be possible again at the next Fire Protection Day.

Website:
www.brandschutztag.de

Venue:
CHEMPARK Leverkusen
Baykomm Communication Center
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Allee 1, 51373 Leverkusen