Ricardo Certification Designated Body (DeBo) in Belgium

Ricardo Certification assesses rail vehicles and rail infrastructure against national regulations in Belgium

Ricardo Certification has received final accreditation confirming its recognition by the Belgian government as a Designated Body (DeBo). The accreditation has been issued by the Dutch Accreditation Institute, RvA, and means Ricardo Certification can continue to assess rail vehicles and infrastructure against Belgian national regulations, now and long into the future. A provisional DeBo accreditation had previously been issued in 2021, but with the successful completion of a first vehicle certification (including ETCS) in Belgium, the recognition is now final and becomes part of the standard accreditation cycle. According to Jos van Gisbergen and Tristan van Hoek:

"This is good news for manufacturers, because it means that there is a definite additional provider of testing and certification activities on the Belgian market.”

Ricardo Certification has already been active as a Notified Body (NoBo) in Belgium for many years, and in that role assesses rail sub-systems against EU regulations. Clients include Infrabel and engineering firm TUC Rail.

Recognition
Tristan van Hoek: "In addition to Belgium and the Netherlands, we also hold DeBo recognitions in Denmark, Spain, Ireland and the United Kingdom, meaning we are able to conduct a wide range of specialist testing and certification work for large rolling stock manufacturers across Europe. Furthermore, we are working on a possible expansion of services to Norway and Sweden".

On the move 
Jos van Gisbergen: "By offering specialized testing and certification services in the Belgian market, we are ready for the future and can provide the developments in the Belgian market, which will largely be ETCS-related, with the necessary test facilities and certification services."