Engineering Procedure
Design
Withdrawn - for reference only
Engineering Procedure
EPD 0006
DESIGN STANDARDS
Version 2.0
Issued February 2010
Owner: Manager, Engineering Standards and Configuration
Approved Jagath Peiris Authorised Jim Modrouvanos
by: Manager by: General Manager
Engineering Standards and Chief Engineers Division
Configuration
Disclaimer
This document was prepared for use on the RailCorp Network only.
RailCorp makes no warranties, express or implied, that compliance with the contents of this document shall be
sufficient to ensure safe systems or work or operation. It is the document user’s sole responsibility to ensure that the
copy of the document it is viewing is the current version of the document as in use by RailCorp.
RailCorp accepts no liability whatsoever in relation to the use of this document by any party, and RailCorp excludes
any liability which arises in any manner by the use of this document.
Copyright
The information in this document is protected by Copyright and no part of this document may be reproduced, altered,
stored or transmitted by any person without the prior consent of RailCorp.
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RailCorp Engineering Procedure — Design
Design standards EPD 0006
Document control
Withdrawn - for reference only
Revision Date Summary of change
1.0 First Issue
Section numbering updated, Reference corrections and Document
1.1
Control Page added.
1.2 August 2005 Replace reference from RIC to RailCorp
1.3 August 2008 Numerous as contained in v1.3 summary of changes table
Application of current template as per TMA 400 and rewording to
2.0 February 2010
reflect the July 2009 RailCorp reorganisation
Contents
1 Introduction........................................................................................................................................3
2 Scope..................................................................................................................................................3
3 Referenced documents.....................................................................................................................3
4 Definitions and terms........................................................................................................................3
5 Selection and application of design standards..............................................................................3
5.1.1 Approved standards .....................................................................................................3
5.1.2 RailCorp Engineering Standards..................................................................................4
5.1.3 Selection and use of RailCorp engineering standards.................................................5
5.1.4 Selection and use of Australian and international standards .......................................5
5.2 Creation and revision of RailCorp engineering standards ........................................................6
5.2.1 Verification and validation of RailCorp engineering standards ....................................6
5.2.2 Approval of RailCorp engineering standards ...............................................................7
6 Responsibilities.................................................................................................................................7
6.1 Chief engineers .........................................................................................................................7
6.2 Design engineers ......................................................................................................................7
6.3 Asset owners.............................................................................................................................7
6.4 Manager Engineering Standards and Configuration.................................................................7
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RailCorp Engineering Procedure — Design
Design standards EPD 0006
1 Introduction
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Standards form the basis for making design decisions that satisfy regulatory requirements
and specific requirements of RailCorp. Selection and application of appropriate standards
is an integral part of the design process. Any change to an approved standard represents
a potential change to the approved configuration and may have a wide ranging impact on
existing installations. Therefore, prior to their issue for use, changes to existing standards
and introduction of new standards must be approved following the processes described
in:
• SMS-06-SR-0048 System Requirement Safety Change Management or any
associated Safety Change Approved Process (SCAP) and
• RailCorp Engineering Procedure – Design EPD 0014 Configuration management.
To ensure RailCorp assets are designed, constructed and maintained to achieve
appropriate levels of safety and integrity it is essential that all standards to be used on
designs for RailCorp are carefully selected. Use of a standard that considerably exceeds
the requirements of the application for which it is used can substantially increase the cost
of both new works and ongoing maintenance.
2 Scope
This procedure establishes requirements for the creation, amendment and maintenance
of design standards and their selection and application in design tasks undertaken by or
on behalf of RailCorp.
3 Referenced documents
SMS-06-SR-0048 - RailCorp System Requirement Safety Change Management
Whilst the below documents are not referenced in this procedure it has been developed
using these as references:
New South Wales Rail Safety Act 2008
New South Wales Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 2001
SMS-12-PR-0371 - RailCorp System Procedure Managing Engineering Design Control
SMS-12-SR-0128 - RailCorp System Requirement Engineering and Operating Standards
4 Definitions and terms
Refer to the glossary in EPD 0001 for definitions and terms used in this procedure.
5 Selection and application of design standards
5.1.1 Approved standards
All design work performed for or on behalf RailCorp shall conform to approved standards.
Where a RailCorp standard exists for a particular application that standard shall be
applied.
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RailCorp Engineering Procedure — Design
Design standards EPD 0006
The hierarchical order of standards to be used for RailCorp design work shall be:
• RailCorp engineering standards
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• Australian standards
• Equivalent national or international standards for railway infrastructure.
5.1.2 RailCorp Engineering Standards
RailCorp’s engineering standards are written for particular targeted audiences and
include:
• Engineering Procedures
• Engineering Standards
• Engineering Specifications
• Standard Designs
• Engineering Manuals
• Train Operating Conditions (TOC) Manual
• Technical Notes and Engineering Instructions
• Technical Maintenance Plans (TMPs)
• CAD Manual
Standards that are applicable to design tasks are:
• Engineering Procedures set out the requirements for development, management
and acceptance of designs, competency assessment for design roles, interface
management, inclusion of reliability and maintainability in design, configuration
management, integrated support and document control and records management.
• Engineering Standards generally cover measurable and quantifiable characteristics
(parameters) and / or criteria against which RailCorp assets are to be designed, built
and maintained. They provide functional and design requirements, performance
criteria, approved configurations, physical characteristics, applications and operational
or design limitations, damage limits and repair standards.
• Engineering Specifications generally cover acceptance criteria for products and / or
services. Their purpose is to document the characteristics of products and / or
services that meet requirements of standards. One or more standards may be
associated with a specification.
• Standard Designs generally cover type-approved designs that have been developed
for use in appropriate applications within RailCorp. Standard designs are typically
documented in drawings (and specifications) and define the configuration of items or
installations that meet RailCorp requirements for specific applications. Examples of
standard designs include certain types of bridges, turnouts, and components for use in
OHW designs. Standard designs may include standard repairs and serviceability
criteria for the relevant installation.
• Technical Notes and Engineering Instructions communicate urgent information,
lessons learnt and reminders. They may also be used to provide interim changes to
standards, manuals or specifications until more extensive updates to these documents
are promulgated.
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RailCorp Engineering Procedure — Design
Design standards EPD 0006
• CAD Manual provides the standards to which design drawings shall be produced.
RailCorp engineering standards are primary configuration documents within the RailCorp
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system and the master copy shall be maintained in the master configuration record as
provided in EPD 0014. This is essential for system configuration management because:
• specific designs that incorporate RailCorp engineering standard designs or type
approved products incorporate the standard (at a specific issue and revision status) as
part of the approved configuration for that design and
• any change to a RailCorp engineering standard has the potential to impact on system
performance, durability and interfaces.
5.1.3 Selection and use of RailCorp engineering standards
The existence of a RailCorp engineering standard does not mean that the item covered
by the standard has been approved for universal application within the RailCorp system.
Selection of items or designs that conform to either a RailCorp engineering standard
specification or a standard design for incorporation in an infrastructure installation is itself
a design decision. The decision must take account of the suitability of the standard item
or design for the intended application including the specific usage parameters and
environment for the application.
Similarly, replacement of one type of standard item with another, for example,
replacement of timber sleepers with concrete, is a new design and represents a change
to the approved configuration. Changes of this type must be processed as a configuration
change to existing infrastructure in accordance with the requirements of EPD 0014.
Chief engineers and design engineers have a general responsibility to ensure that
RailCorp standard items and designs are selected for use in new and altered designs on
the basis that they:
• represent an appropriate solution having regard to the safety, performance, reliability
and environmental design requirements of the engineering specification
• represent the most cost-effective solution for the requirement except in cases where
there is a defined requirement for standardisation
• are the most current approved version.
New or revised standards are generally applicable to those designs that either commence
at the same time or subsequent to the issue of those standards unless a specific
requirement is included in a standard that it applies retrospectively. It is the responsibility
of the relevant chief engineer to advertise widely when a particular standard is required to
be applied retrospectively.
5.1.4 Selection and use of Australian and international standards
The following requirements shall be taken into account when selecting an Australian or
international standard for an individual design task:
• requirements for compliance with federal and NSW legislation and regulations
• additional requirements included in RailCorp engineering standards that limit or
otherwise amplify the use of other standards for RailCorp applications
• the requirements of an engineering specification provided by the client.
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RailCorp Engineering Procedure — Design
Design standards EPD 0006
5.2 Creation and revision of RailCorp engineering standards
Wherever possible RailCorp engineering standards shall be based on an Australian or
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equivalent international standard and shall be used to specify or amplify the use of
alternatives within the original standard for RailCorp applications.
Chief engineers are responsible for creation of new standards and periodical review and
amendment of existing standards within their areas of responsibility. As part of this
process the responsible chief engineer shall consider:
• the need for a separate RailCorp engineering standard
• the levels of performance, durability and reliability appropriate to RailCorp business
needs
• limitations and constraints on the application of the standard which shall be clearly
documented as part of the standard including the approved application of type-
approved products or designs.
The development, review and amendment of engineering standards shall follow the
following phases:
• identify change request
• apply safety change management process
• consult stakeholders
• assess training needs
• obtain approval and authorisation
• publish document
Changes to RailCorp engineering standards shall be processed as a configuration
change request (CCR) in accordance with EPD 0014.
Application of the safety change management process is described in SMS-06-SR-0048
or, where approved, in the relevant SCAP.
Except for minor editorial changes, which do not alter the technical intent or application of
the standard, revisions to RailCorp engineering standards will normally meet the criteria
for major changes within EPD 0014. Major changes to RailCorp engineering standards
shall be referred to RailCorp’s Engineering Standards and Services Division
Configuration Control Board (ES&S CCB) for approval to ensure that the requirements of
all stakeholders are taken into account.
5.2.1 Verification and validation of RailCorp engineering standards
Verification and validation requirements defined in EPD 0011 and EPD 0012 shall be
applied in every case for standard products and designs covered by RailCorp engineering
standards. This includes type approval of new products and designs before the standard
is approved for use.
Verification and validation records shall be maintained as part of the design record in
support of the standard. Design records shall be maintained within the responsible design
section.
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RailCorp Engineering Procedure — Design
Design standards EPD 0006
5.2.2 Approval of RailCorp engineering standards
RailCorp engineering standards shall be subject to the following approval process:
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• chief engineers for each design discipline shall be responsible for approval of
standards within their area of responsibility in accordance with EPD 0010
• new standards and major changes to existing standards shall be approved by the
ES&S CCB following review by stakeholders and satisfactory resolution of all
comments and issues raised prior to being released for use.
6 Responsibilities
6.1 Chief engineers
RailCorp chief engineers heads are responsible for developing, maintaining and
approving design standards for use. The chief engineer head in each discipline is the
authority for deciding on matters relating to standards in that discipline.
6.2 Design engineers
Design engineers are responsible for the selection and use of design standards in
accordance with the requirements of this procedure. It is the design engineer’s
responsibility to obtain and apply the correct versions of relevant design standards
applicable to specific design tasks.
6.3 Asset owners
As part of the stakeholder review process of design development an asset owner may
reject a compliant design solution in favour of an alternative compliant solution in order to
achieve construction and maintenance efficiencies.
6.4 Manager Engineering Standards and Configuration
The Manager Engineering Standards and Configuration is responsible for providing
guidance to those seeking clarifications on design standards by directing them to relevant
standards authorities.
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