IEC 61373 specifies the requirements for testing items of equipment intended for use on railway vehicles which are subsequently subjected to vibrations and shock owing to the nature of railway operational environment. To gain assurance that the quality of the equipment is acceptable, it is exposed to tests of reasonable duration that simulate the service conditions seen throughout its expected life.
Simulated long-life testing can be achieved in a number of ways each having their associated advantages and disadvantages, the following being the most common:
a) amplification: where the amplitudes are increased and the time base decreased,
b) time compression: where the amplitude history is retained and the time base is decreased (increase of the frequency),
c) decimation: where time slices of the historical data are removed when the amplitudes are below a specified threshold value.
Whilst IEC 61373 is primarily concerned with railway vehicles on fixed rail systems, its wider use is not precluded. For systems operating on pneumatic tyres, or other transportation systems such as trolleybuses, where the level of shock and vibration clearly differ from those obtained on fixed rail systems, specific test levels can be considered. In that case, the frequency spectra and the shock duration and amplitude are computed in compliance with the guidelines in Annex A.
Annex F provides the functional random vibration load that can be considered by the user for urban vehicles operating on pneumatic tyres. IEC 61373 applies to single axis testing. However, multi-axis testing is possible.
This standard is intended to evaluate equipment which is attached to the main structure of the vehicle (and components mounted thereon). It is not intended to test equipment which forms part of the main structure. Main structure in the sense of this document means car body, bogie and axle.
The following items are out of scope of IEC 61373:
– the traction motors for railway vehicles;
– any mechanical substructure not equipped with electrical, electronic or pneumatic component.
IEC 61373:2026 text has been approved in Europe as EN IEC 61373:2026 without any changes.
