It is common practice in many specifications for passenger rail vehicle projects, to use industry standards from various standards organizations to provide a common level of manufacturing, safety, reliability, and quality for the components and materials used in their manufacture. However, many of the standards quoted have become outdated due to; new materials, obsolete material, material unavailability, new manufacturing techniques, and general obsolescence (canceling, replacement of standards, or adopting other industry standards). Additionally, many standards have been cited incorrectly, or cited with incomplete information, resulting in confusion as to the actual intent and/or requirements of the specification.

The purpose of this site is to discuss some appropriate standards for passenger rail vehicle construction. The following pages list these commonly cited standards, suggest alternative standards, provide a brief explanation of each standard, and the proper criteria for the standard citing. In many cases, additional information has been provided for background, to support or explain the standard citing, as well as common usage and cross-references (where applicable).

Note: The standards listed here are intended for US based contracts, or contracts where US standards are specifically called for. UK based contracts please use: http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/