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Network Rail Certification Body Limited (commonly known as Network Certification Body or NCB) is a private limited company providing conformity assessment and consulting services to the rail industry. The company is headquartered in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom and was founded in 2012 as a subsidiary of Network Rail.

History

Established in April 2012, NCB was formed to provide conformity assessment services to the rail industry. The organisation has extensive long-standing experience of working alongside rail industry projects from wagon alterations through to piecemeal infrastructure upgrades to new pieces of rail infrastructure such as High Speed 1. Shortly after its creation, three Network Rail teams were transferred to MCB, consisting of an existing UKAS accredited Notified Body and Rail Safety and Standards Board accredited vehicle acceptance body, an infrastructure conformance team delivering independent competent person safety verification under the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS), and a private wagons registration agreement team providing support to owners and operators of private wagons for use on the railway.

While NCB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd, it is intentionally operated as an independent agency of its parent organization as to avoid any conflict of interests occurring. This independence is routinely reviewed by external auditors. NCB offers its services to any organization carrying out works on railway infrastructure and vehicles that need to comply with UK rail safety legislation.

In 2021, NCB was reportedly achieving a turnover of just under £7 million per annum. At the time, the organisation was reportedly focused on, in addition to performing its traditional activities on behalf of Network Rail, increasing its third party financed portfolio both within Britain and internationally.

Corporate leadership

James Collinson was appointed Director, NCB in April 2012 having been involved in establishing the new company. In December 2013 he became managing director on the appointment of Mark Thickbroom to the new role of Finance and Commercial Director for NCB.

Board of directors

As of June 2021, the current NCB board members are:

• Neil Hannah, Chairman
• Sam Brunker, Managing Director
• Mark Thickbroom, Finance and Commercial Director
• Sally Rose, Shareholders Representative
• George Bearfield, Non-executive Director

Projects and undertakings

Shortly following its creation, NCB became involved in various domestic railway projects. One was the Thameslink Programme, for which NCB has provided safety verification and Assessment Body services. Separately, as part of the Northern Hub project, specifically Phase 1 of the North West Electrification was for the Manchester to West Coast Main Line and Newton-le-Willows electrification scheme, NCB was selected as the Notified Body (NoBo), Designated Body (DeBo) and to provide safety verification. The organisation has also been overseeing the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) at several locations in the UK, such as the East Coast Main Line. NCB has also been involved in the authorisation of automatic train operation (ATO) deployments. During March 2018, it was announced that, in partnership with Certifer SA, NCB has been awarded a ten year contract, valued at £20 million, to provide independent assessment services for High Speed 2, specifically the design and construction of Phase 1 and Phase 2a.

NCB has undertaken the assessment and approval of several different forms of rolling stock, from passenger multiple units to infrastructure maintenance vehicles. During the 2010s, to better accommodate changes to both regulations and standards pertaining to the assessment of rail vehicles, certification practices that had traditionally involved acceptance being performed by an accredited Vehicle Acceptance Body (VAB) have slowly shifted towards this role being undertaken by accredited Notified Bodies, such as NCB, instead.

NCB has also been involved in various international projects. During July 2020, it was announced that, following a competitive tender process, the partnership of NCB and Certifer SA had awarded a long term contract to provide Notified Body services to the Rail Baltica project, ensuring all infrastructure involved has full conformity with the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI).

References

1. "Network Certification Body (NCB)". railpro.co.uk. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
2. "Interview Spotlight: Formed in 2012, as a subsidiary of Network Rail, Network Certification Body (NCB) provides assurance and certification services to the rail industry". globalrailwayreview.com. 29 March 2018.
3. "Schedule of Accreditation – Network Certification Body Limited" (PDF). UKAS. November 2012. pp. 1 to 5.
4. "NCB: Independent Assurance". issuu.com. April 2022.
5. "A new beginning – Network Certification in a post-brexit UK". railpage.com.au. 5 May 2021.
6. "Appendix A: Thameslink Programme list" (PDF). Network Rail. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
7. "Setting new standards". railengineer.co.uk. 12 December 2015.
8. "North West Electrification Programme". vertex-se.com. 23 September 2021.
9. Kessell, Clive (1 September 2020). "Unlocking Innovation: The Digital Railway". railengineer.co.uk.
10. Stacy, Mungo (13 July 2015). "RETB – Next Generation Project". railengineer.co.uk.
11. "ATO: The future of mainline railway?". Institution of Mechanical Engineers. 16 February 2017.
12. "Network Certification Body awarded HS2 contract". railuk.com. 21 March 2018.
13. "Network Certification Body: Where it came from and where it's heading". railstaff.co.uk. 15 April 2019.
14. Tinham, Brian (28 May 2015). "Network Rail commissions combo road and rail Canters". transportengineer.org.uk.
15. Stacy, Mungo (12 May 2014). "VAB RIP". railengineer.co.uk.
16. "Central role for NoBos in European competition policy". globalrailwayreview.com. 18 February 2013.
17. "Rail Baltica starts a long-term partnership to ensure conformity with the European railway standards of interoperability". railbaltica.org. 6 July 2020.

External links

• NCB

• Rail infrastructure in the United Kingdom
• Railway companies of the United Kingdom
• British companies established in 2012
• Companies based in Milton Keynes