Standardisation and Norms
Development Projects
Collaboration with Universities and Laboratories
In its role of managing railway infrastructure, REFER is responsible for ensuring the safety of operations and the respective regulations. It is also responsible for evaluating whether the products being used (materials, parts, machinery, equipment, software systems, etc.) comply with the specifications.
REFER thus develops processes to standardise new products and equipment used in railway infrastructure, both at the request of suppliers/ manufacturers as well as on its own initiative, in accordance with the internal norms that have been established for this purpose.
REFER similarly defines and periodically revises common guidelines to create normative or regulatory documents, establishing annual plans to develop norms for the processes, activities and services that are necessary for managing railway infrastructure.
R & D Projects
REFER is currently participating in two Research & Development (R&D) projects at a European level, more specifically:
INTERAIL - “Development of a novel integrated inspection system for the accurate evaluation of the structural integrity of rail tracks”
DURATI NET - “Network for Durable Transport Infrastructure in the Atlantic Area”
Projects for the Transfer of Technology
REFER is presently developing three extremely important projects in this area:
SDO – System to detect obstacles at level crossings
System to detect hot boxes and wheels
REFER has established protocol agreements to cooperate with universities and other educational and research institutions to conduct R&D projects. Specific contracts can be signed within the scope of these agreements to implement projects of mutual interest.
Such agreements have already been signed with the Institute for Instituto Superior Técnico, the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering and the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto.