General Information

Over the past 50 years, the Centre For Railway Engineering Research has provided engineering services which span development and research, design, implementation, consultancy and certification in the field of railway engineering and urban passenger rail transport.

In Our Offer:

Product Certification Services

CNTK is the first Polish Certification Unit (No. 1467) to be notified for EU Directives 16/2001/WE and 96/48/WE concerning Interoperability of the trans-European conventional and high-speed rail systems. Notification includes both certification procedures and assessment of conformity as well as completion of tests.

As notified body authorized by the Office for Railway Transport and accredited to the Polish Centre for Accreditation (PCA), what confirms our highly specialist skills, we carry out tests and evaluate conformity both in the obligatory area regulated by relevant Directives and national laws as well as tests on the optional basis. Consequently, we issue European Certificates of Conformity as well as Technical Approvals concerning products used in construction of the permanent way and qualification certificates for the equipment and systems used in railway lines and the rolling stock.

Not only Polish but also foreign recognitions of our accomplishments and accreditations received from such organizations as the German EBA a railway market regulatory body, or the Italian CESIFER become high recommendation.

Testing Services

Our team of highly skilled engineers and specialist testing facilities both stationary and mobile as well as research laboratories enable research in various technological areas related to all types of rail transport, such as:

• Construction and maintenance of railway routes, 

• Infrastructure and organization of rail transport in huge urbanized areas (conurbations), 

• Automation and safety installations, 

• Data communications and telecommunications, 

• Organization of rail transport of passengers and goods, 

• Organization and management in transport, 

• Logistics and marketing, 

• Rail vehicles, 

• Traction power network, power supply systems for electric traction and for
other consumers, 

• Electromagnetic compatibility, 

• Environmental preservation, 

• Testing of safety systems and installations, 

• Testing of telecommunications systems and devices as well as their
electromagnetic compatibility, 

• Testing of properties of materials and structural elements, 

• Assessment of technical condition of facilities, 

• Investigations related to accidents and special cases.

Self government bodies, local governments, county and provincial administration units may count on CNTK’s support in respect of any rail transport issues. Such co-operation includes issues of railway infrastructure on the provincial and local levels. In particular, the CNTK offers the following services:

• Participation in working out strategies for the development of provinces and districts as well as preparing programmes for sustainable growth of transport services including regional and local railway networks, 

• Evaluation of technical condition of regional railway lines with consideration for the tracks, points and switches, engineering structures, and safety installation devices, 

• Certification of the abovementioned facilities, 

• Market research provided for carriers and transport operators, 

• Transport offers for provincial railway networks, 

• Business plans for the transport projects, 

• Analyses of the effect of transport on the environment (reviews, forecasts, assessments), 

• Expert opinions.

Certificates of Accreditation issued by the Polish Centre for Accreditation (PCA)

CNTK’s outstanding competence has been confirmed by the accreditation certificates issued for: 

• Quality Assurance and Certification Centre (Certificate No. PCA AC 128) – as certification body,
• Metrology Laboratory (Certificate No. PCA AP 024) – as standardizing laboratory, as well as testing laboratories 

• Automation and Telecommunications Laboratory (Certificate No. PCA AB 310), 

• Materials and Structural Elements Testing Laboratory (Certificate No. PCA AB 369), 

• Rolling Stock Testing Laboratory (Certificate No. PCA AB 742).

Examples of our services

Among our customers and partners are companies belonging to the Polish State Railways Group (PKP) as well as other rail carriers and administrators of railway infrastructure and manufacturers supplying their products to the railway industry. Moreover, CNTK co-operates with local governments.

Within the space of the last three years, CNTK has completed among other things the following projects: 

• National ERTMS Implementation Plan – for PKP, 

• Feasibility Study of ERTMS implementation in the Legnica-State Border trial
section, 

• Taking part in working out the Master Plan for rail transport: 

- Research work concerning construction in stages of Warsaw fast urban railway,
- Working out transport strategy for the fast urban railway on the territory leaning towards the so called Tri-City (Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot), 

- Concept of integrated cyclic train time-table for the Koleje Mazowieckie Company, 

- Evaluation studies for the Warsaw Metro (underground). 

• Comprehensive tests of modernized and newly developed rail vehicles of 90 types (locomotives, multiple-unit sets, rail buses, rail-coaches, freight cars, and special-type vehicles). Basing on the tests and certificates issued by CNTK, these vehicles received operating permits in Poland or in other European countries.

Right from the beginning, CNTK takes an active part in international markets. As notified body, it participates in the work of the co-ordination group of notified bodies in Brussels (NB Rail) and at present, a CNTK representative is Vice President of the Group. Through participation in the EU Framework Programmes, and in the process of adaptation of technical specifications used by Polish railways to the requirements of European Standards, CNTK experts have joined the so called ‘European Research Space’. 

Participation of CNTK in the SAFETRAM research project on ‘Passive safety of tramways for Europe’, being part of the fifth EU Framework Programme, may be good example of such activity. CNTK experts are also active in the work of European Railway Agency (ERA) – a successor of European Association for Railway Interoperability (AEIF) and in standardization work of CEN, CENELEC. CNTK is also involved in the work of EURNEX (European Rail Research Network of Excellence) active in railway research.

Major investment projects

Centre For Railway Engineering Research is specializing in working out feasibility studies for large-scale investment projects concerning transport infrastructure. As a member of international consortiums, CNTK took an active part in the drawing up of feasibility study for the modernization of the E65 railway line in its Warszawa – Działdowo - Gdynia section (application for European structural funds). Further studies were also completed: 

• Preliminary feasibility study for high speed train service in four Central and Eastern European countries 

• Feasibility study for the Warsaw Metro’s (underground) section from the route B20 to A23 “Młociny Station” including the Młociny Transport Hub.

Standardization activity of CNTK

CNTK’s standardization activity, among other things, includes: 

• Running of National Secretariats KT No. 61 for Electric Traction Equipment and KT No. 138 for the Railways, 

• Preparing and updating of standardization documents in twelve areas of railway standardization containing among other things discussion of its consequences faced by the respective bodies in Poland.

Moreover, CNTK representatives are active members of various technical commissions of the Polish Committee for Standardization (PKN), such as:

• KT No. 1 for Handicapped Persons,
• KT No. 6 for Quality Assurance,
• KT No. 11 for Telecommunications,
• KT No. 53 for Cables and Conductors,
• KT No. 54 for Chemical Current Sources,
• KT No. 60 for Power Electronics,
• KT No. 73 for Design and Operation of Devices for Electric Power Engineering
• KT No. 108 for Aggregates and Building Stones,
• KT No. 142 for Geosynthetic Materials
• KT No. 146 for Steel Sections,
• KT No. 186 for Rubber and Rubber Products,
• KT No. 243 for Graphic Symbols and Marks.

CNTK’s organization is adapted to various rail transport projects. Its structure includes:

- Railway Routes and Railway Transport Division,
- Train Operation Control and Data Communications Division,
- Rail Vehicles Division,
- Electric Power Engineering Division,

As well as specialist laboratories:

• Materials and Structural Elements Testing Laboratory,
• Automation and Telecommunications Laboratory,
• Rolling Stock Testing Laboratory,
• Metrology Laboratory.

Moreover, CNTK has its own proving ground located in Węglewo near Żmigród (south-west Poland). Test Track Operation Centre consists of a 7725 m long track loop and additional specialist infrastructure with necessary conference and hotel facilities.