Railroad Technology

Due to numerous safety and quality standards, railroad engineering demands reliable cable routing components. Wetness, dust or vibrations are daily challenges that railroad technology must face. The strong climatic conditions demand a robust material. Due to the high fire class and vibration resistance (acc. to EN 61373) of the icotek products as well as the certified ingress protection types, icotek cable entry components are very well suited to the needs of railroad technology. icotek products also meet the European fire safety standard for rail transport EN 45545-2 in Hazard Level HL3. icotek also offers cable entry systems with fire penetration seals acc. to EN 45545-3.

» Split cable entry systems and » cable glands by icotek enable a fast, safe and cost-effective way to feed cables with connectors or cable protection conduits through the train floor, body or roof (e.g. for heating and air conditioning) without voiding the warranty of the cables. icotek split cable entry components also seal the entry points with up to IP66/IP68 and UL type 4X rated protection and provide strain relief according to EN 62444.

Cables without connectors as well as pneumatic and hydraulic hoses can be routed through » membrane based multi-cable entry plates which provide up to IP66/IP68 and UL type 4X rated protection.

For railroad applications with lower ingress protection requirements icotek offers » brush plates and brush strips for round and rectangular cut-outs.

Our cable entry components fit on rectangular or round metric cut-outs from M16 to M85. For installation icotek offers suitable » knockout tools and punches.

Fields of application for icotek cable management components in rolling stock are e.g. 

• Central electrics/fuse boxes/electrical enclosures/control panels
• Heating/air conditioning
• Train driver's cab (cable routing from engine compartment through the vehicle body)
• Underbody of locomotives and railroad wagons
• Signal and lighting devices
• Passenger compartment (cable feedthrough at service points, e.g. battery charging stations/power supply)

» KEL-JUMBO & » KEL 24 cable entry frames IP54: Routing of corrugated conduits and cables inside the underbody of a locomotive.

» Strain relief plates ZL-AB: Cable routing in the engine room of a locomotive. By using aluminium inlay bushings a secure hold of the plates is provided, even in case of vibrations.

Fields of application for icotek cable management components in railroad facilities are e.g.

• Platform screen doors (PSD)
• Platform access systems (e.g. sensor barriers & speedgates with ticket readers)
• Ticket machines
• Passenger transport equipment (lifts, escalators)
• Passenger information systems
• Train detection system
• Signalboxes

For a secure and structured cable management and strain relief of electrical lines icotek offers several » strain relief plates for various mounting methods.

The icotek cable entry components comply with important approvals and standards like IP and UL rated protection, UL recognized or UV resistance which makes icotek a strong and reliable partner for the railroad industry. Due to the high quality of the icotek products a good fire safety acc. to EN 45545-2, hazard level HL3 and EN 45545-3 (E45 and EI30) is provided. Furthermore, numerous icotek products such as cable entry systems and EMC solutions were subjected to a vibration and shock test acc. to EN 61373.

Requirements of railroad fire safety standard EN 45545-2

EN 45545-2 defines a classification system that specifies requirements for fire behavior of materials and products used in trains. In effect since 2013 the European railroad standard for fire safety replaced numerous national standards such as NF F 16-101 and -102, BS 6853 or DIN 5510-2.

The EN 45545-2 application categories are separated into four different train types, e.g. standard vehicles or special trains with sleeping cars. According to EN 45545 there are four different environments the trains are running in, depending on how many kilometers the route is leading through a tunnel. The combination of train types and environments is essential for the classification of hazard levels. A standard train going less than one kilometer through a tunnel will be classified as HL1. The security level HL3 is the highest hazard classification.

Furthermore there are different requirement sets. These are essentially based on the type of product. Our products are part of the requirement sets R22 and R23 „seals and hoses“. In requirement set R22 we meet the requirements for indoor and in R23 for outdoor applications. 

icotek cable management products ar made of self-extinguishing polyamide (flame class UL94-V0) to meet these high requirements in railroad technology.

Fire resistance of fire barriers acc. to EN 45545-3

The European railroad standard for fire safety EN 45545-3 regulates the fire resistance of fire barriers. The requirements and measures defined in this part of the standard aim to protect passengers and staff in railroad vehicles against onboard fire incidents. icotek » cable entry systems with fire penetration seals meet the classifications E45 and EI30 (when mounted on 18 mm fire protection panel,  E30 on 3 mm sheet steel plate).