RFID in RAIL GS1

RFID in RAIL GS1

European Guideline for the Identification of Railway Assets using GS1 Standards

Background The use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is increasing meaning that more objects are being identified with the technology. To ensure that objects are identified uniquely there is a need to commit to a numbering scheme. Failure to do so means that the identification chosen can collide with other identification systems leading to inac- curate data and severe consequences depending on the application using the data. In Europe, there have been a number of RFID pilots in rail. Some of the projects have been running for a number of years and it has become clear that to maximize the benefits of RFID and allow open access to the technology, common standards had to be agreed. As rail assets, meaning vehicles and their component parts, cross country borders the standard had to be European. Failure to use a cross border standard would mean that infrastructure managers would have to allow for different types of readers to be put on the trackside, and vehicles passing different countries would have to have different tags to suit each country etc. This guideline has been developed by GS1 in Europe with the help of key rail actors in Europe including railway infrastructure managers, train operators, components manufacturers, rail industry bodies and solution providers involved in RFID in Rail implementations.

The guideline details how to identify rail assets within the framework of the GS1 System. Rail assets include goods wagons, passenger cars and locomotives as well as parts for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)