Single safety certificates for railway undertakings

Applicants should read the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/763 establishing practical arrangements for issuing single safety certificates and the related guidance. The European Railway Agency (ERA) has published an application guide that explains to applicants the application process and the applicable legislation and requirements. Traficom has also published an application guide that complements the ERA guidance with issues specific to Finland.

In the case of rail operations in more than one EU country, ERA will be the safety certification body. In the case of rail operations strictly in Finland, the applicant can choose whether to apply to ERA or Traficom. The process is the same regardless of which authority acts as the safety certification body. In both cases, Traficom will assess the national rules in the application of single safety certificate.

All applications for a single safety certificate must be submitted electronically through the One-Stop Shop (OSS) (External link). All information and material concerning the application can be accessed through the OSS. 

Applicants can also submit a ‘pre-engagement’ application before submitting the actual application. The goal of pre-engagement is to help applicants understand what is expected from them. Pre-engagement is optional for the applicant but mandatory for the safety certification body and/or the National Safety Authority (NSA) responsible for the area of operation if the applicant requests it. 

Applications to Traficom be submitted in Finnish, Swedish or English.

All decisions following an application for a single safety certificate can be found in the OSS. Applicants can only access information on their own applications.

In addition to Finnish and Swedish, Traficom can also issue decisions in English to foreign persons or companies.

All single safety certificates are published in the European Railway Agency Database of Interoperability and Safety (ERADIS) (External link).