EN 15085 · Welding of railway vehicles and components
EN 15085 certification and requirements for railway welding your customers will accept.
Rolling stock builders and rail operators want proof that every welded bracket, frame and bogie part came from a controlled workshop. Sterling's expert and experienced consultants set up welding coordination, qualified procedures and inspection records with your shop floor, then support you through the certification body's assessment. We ensure successful certification for our clients.
- Fixed scope, one proposal: consulting, Effivity software, Sterling Academy access and internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, in one proposal
- A team of expert and experienced welding quality consultants, with management system consulting across sectors and countries since 2003
- The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements. Sterling does not certify; an independent certification body audits and decides
8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries.
Why railway suppliers choose Sterling
What it is
What is EN 15085 and what is it used for?
EN 15085 is the European Standard series titled "Railway applications: Welding of railway vehicles and components". It sets out how welded rail vehicle parts are to be designed, made, inspected and documented, and what a workshop that welds them must have in place. A weld on a car body, underframe or bogie can carry load for decades, and welding is a special process: its result cannot be fully checked afterwards, so it has to be controlled while it happens.
In practice, EN 15085 is the passport a welding workshop shows before it is allowed to supply the railway sector. Vehicle builders, component integrators and rail operators that specify it expect the supplier's certificate, its scope and the welding documentation behind each part. It sits alongside the railway quality management system of ISO 22163: that standard governs the whole business, while EN 15085 goes deep into one process, welding.
Current edition. The series has five parts. BSI lists EN 15085-1:2023 for Part 1, EN 15085-2:2020 for Part 2 with amendments consolidated in 2023 and in an edition dated 30 November 2025, and EN 15085-3:2022 for Part 3, amended in 2023. Confirm the editions of Parts 4 and 5, and the edition your certification body audits against, before you start.
Who it is for
Who needs EN 15085 certification?
Any organisation that welds railway vehicles or their components is likely to meet the requirement, from a small fabrication shop making brackets to a car-body plant. Suppliers usually reach Sterling from one of four starting points:
- A rolling stock customer has asked for your certificate. The purchase order or supplier questionnaire names EN 15085, and deliveries depend on it. The first task is to agree exactly which parts, processes and materials the certificate must cover.
- A rail tender lists it as a qualifying condition. Operators and main contractors screen welding suppliers early; without a certificate in the register you may not reach the evaluation stage.
- A regulator or safety assessor is reviewing the supply chain. Vehicle approval and safety cases lean on evidence that welded structures were made under control; your records become part of that evidence.
- Your group is moving rail work to a new site. A sister plant, an acquisition or a new country operation must match the certification of the plant it serves, with its own coordinators and procedures.
Certification opens the door to the sector; staying in it depends on welds that keep passing inspection and a workshop that keeps its coordination and qualifications current.
Requirements
What are the main EN 15085 requirements?
EN 15085 requirements are spread across five parts rather than numbered management-system clauses. Each part answers a different question about a welded railway component, from the common terms to the records that prove the weld is sound. The list below is a plain-language guide to the part titles; your workshop is assessed against the editions of each part that your certification body applies.
- Part 1 General: the common basis for the series, including the terms it uses and how the other parts fit together.
- Part 2 Requirements for welding manufacturer: what the workshop itself must have to weld railway vehicles and components, the part the certificate is issued against.
- Part 3 Design requirements: how welded joints and assemblies are designed and specified on drawings, so production knows what quality each weld needs.
- Part 4 Production requirements: how welding is planned, prepared and carried out in the workshop.
- Part 5 Inspection, testing and documentation: how welds are inspected and tested, and which records are kept to show it.
What does useful EN 15085 evidence look like?
Welding coordination responsibilities in writing, qualified welding procedures and welder qualifications in date, drawings that state weld requirements, production plans, material and consumable traceability, inspection and test reports, and a record of how nonconforming welds were handled. We keep each record tied to the part and weld it belongs to, and hold it in Effivity so the assessor can follow a component from drawing to delivery.
Certification process
How do you get EN 15085 certified?
The welding workshop builds control first; an independent certification body then assesses the manufacturer and, if satisfied, issues a certificate that is published in the online register. Sterling prepares your team and your records; the decision belongs to the certification body.
- 01Define the certificate scope.List the products and components, welding processes, materials and sites, and read your customers' specifications for the scope they expect.
- 02Gap analysis: compare your workshop with EN 15085.Coordination, qualifications, procedures, design input, production control and inspection are checked against each part, with actions, owners and dates.
- 03Build welding control and qualify people and procedures.Coordination roles appointed, procedures and welders qualified, drawings and production plans updated, and records started on live work.
- 04Internal audit and readiness review.We audit the workshop against every part, trace sample components end to end and close findings with evidence before the assessor visits.
- 05Certification body assessment and register entry.The certification body assesses the workshop, you answer any findings, and after its decision the certificate is listed in the online EN 15085 register.
Check the route before you sign. Ask the certification body how it is recognised for EN 15085, what validity and surveillance it will apply, and look up existing certificates it has issued in the online register. A certificate your customer cannot find there is unlikely to satisfy its supplier approval. The certification buyer's checklist
Cost
How much does EN 15085 certification cost?
The investment follows the welding you do, not the size of the building. A shop welding simple steel brackets with one process has a very different scope from a plant welding aluminium car bodies with several processes and heavy inspection demands. Each Sterling proposal shows every component and one all-inclusive proposal.
| Cost component | What affects it |
|---|---|
| Consulting and implementation | Existing welding control, number of processes and materials, design responsibility, sites, and whether your team takes the Design™ or Drive™ route |
| Independent certification | The certification body's assessment days, the scope requested, locations, travel and the arrangements it applies after the certificate is issued |
| Qualification and testing | Welding procedure and welder qualification tests, destructive and non-destructive testing, and the third parties who witness or perform them |
| Software and learning | Included in a Sterling engagement: Effivity for the records and Sterling Academy access for your people, with users, courses and access period confirmed in the proposal |
| Continued support | Internal audits, requalification planning, updates for new editions and amendments, and refresher learning under Sustain™ |
What moves the price
- How safety-critical the welded components are
- Number of welding processes, materials and joint types
- Whether qualified coordinators and procedures already exist
- Design responsibility for welded parts, or build to print only
- Customer deadline and the internal time you can release
What a Sterling proposal always shows
- Scope, deliverables, assumptions and exclusions in writing
- Certification body and testing costs identified separately
- Effivity, training and Academy access itemised at no additional cost
- Milestones linked to deliverables
- A single all-inclusive proposal with nothing added later
Timeline
How long does EN 15085 certification take?
Timing is set less by paperwork than by qualification: procedure tests, welder tests and their results take calendar time, and the workshop needs live production records before the assessment. Our planning estimate for most workshops is four to nine months; we confirm it after the gap analysis.
| Phase | What determines the pace |
|---|---|
| Scope and gap analysis | Access to drawings, customer specifications, existing qualifications and the shop floor |
| Qualification and build | Test scheduling, laboratory turnaround, coordinator availability and procedure approvals |
| Evidence and internal audit | Enough production under the new controls to show they work, followed by internal audit |
| Certification assessment | The certification body's availability, the assessment itself and time to close findings |
Tell us your customer's date on the first call. If it is tight, we say which qualifications must start first.
Your engagement
What your EN 15085 engagement includes
One team takes your workshop from first review to certificate, using Sterling OS™. You choose the support level: Design™, where we guide and your people build, or Drive™, where we manage the build with you. After certification, Sustain™ keeps qualifications, audits and records current, and Automate™ is Effivity, running the system day to day. Sterling does not certify; the independent certification body assesses your workshop and makes the decision.
Scope, gap analysis and plan
Products, processes and materials agreed, gaps listed with owners and dates.
Welding procedures and documentation
Coordination roles, procedures, work instructions and forms written with your welding team.
Effivity ISO & GRC software
Welding records and qualifications held in Effivity, included with the engagement at no additional cost.
Training for everyone
Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard, and preferential Sterling Academy access, including complimentary awareness training for your people as part of the engagement.
Internal audit
An audit of each part, with sample components traced and findings closed on evidence.
Assessment readiness and support
Preparation for the certification body's visit and help with any findings until the certificate is issued.
Certification decisions remain with the independent certification body.
Often combined with
Standards organisations pair with EN 15085
- AIAG core toolsAutomotive core tools implementation and training: APQP, Control Plan, PPAP, FMEA, MSA and SPC applied on your live parts.
- AQAP 2110AQAP 2110 compliance for defence suppliers: what the NATO contract requirement covers, AQAP 2105 quality plans, government quality assurance and an all-inclusive proposal.
- AS9100AS9100 certification consulting for aerospace and defence suppliers: ISO 9001 plus product safety, configuration and FAI, ready for an IAQG scheme audit.
- AS9110AS9110 certification for aviation maintenance organisations: the 9110 requirements, the IAQG audit route, cost and timeline factors, and Sterling's support.
- AS9120AS9120 certification for aerospace distributors and stockists: requirements, the IAQG audit route, OASIS listing, cost and timeline factors, with Sterling.
- CMMC 2.0CMMC 2.0 certification consulting for defence contractors handling FCI and CUI: controls, SPRS score and evidence ready for self or C3PAO assessment.
Effivity · ISO and GRC software, included in every engagement
How Effivity helps you fulfil, automate and simplify the requirements of EN 15085.
Each Sterling EN 15085 engagement includes Effivity, the ISO and GRC automation platform built by the Sterling group and used in 50+ countries. Your consultant sets up the workspace within the agreed scope, so documents, qualifications, training records, calibration, audits, nonconformities and supplier evaluations sit in one place and follow each component through the workshop. Sterling consulting clients get their Effivity subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost.
Scope and documents
The certificate scope, customer specifications and controlled welding documents with versions and approvals, so only the current issue reaches the shop floor.
Roles and responsibilities
Welding coordination responsibilities, deputies and authorities recorded and reviewed, visible to everyone who needs to know who signs off.
Training records and competence
Welder and operator qualifications with expiry dates and reminders, linked to Sterling Academy learning for the wider team.
Documents and change control
Drawings and weld specifications under revision control, with changes approved before they reach production.
Calibration and equipment
Welding equipment, gauges and instruments with calibration and maintenance schedules and records.
Supplier evaluations
Material and consumable suppliers and testing laboratories evaluated, with certificates kept against each delivery.
Audits and nonconformities
Inspection findings, nonconforming welds and corrective actions raised, investigated and closed with evidence, alongside the internal audit programme.
Your own forms and reports
Weld maps, inspection sheets and reports configured to your workflow without code.
What this means at the audit
When the assessor picks a component and asks for its drawing, the procedure used, the welder's qualification and the inspection report, each answer is a linked record in Effivity rather than a search through cabinets. After certification, Sustain™ runs in the same workspace, so requalifications and audits are due on screen before they are overdue.
In your engagement
- Subscription included with the engagement, at no additional cost
- Configured by your Sterling consultant within the agreed scope
- Existing qualification and inspection records migrated
- Admin and user training for your team
- Modules for QMS, EMS, OHSMS and more when you add ISO 22163 or other standards
Sterling Academy · e-learning for your workshop
Train the whole workshop on EN 15085, not only the welding coordinators.
Sterling Academy offers video lessons with practice checkpoints, a final exam and a numbered, online-verifiable Certificate of Completion for each learner. Sterling consulting clients receive preferential Sterling Academy course access and special pricing through their Sterling consultant, including complimentary awareness training for their people as part of the engagement.
- Awareness for welders, fitters, inspectors and supervisors
- Internal auditor training, as applicable to your standard, as part of the engagement
- Progress reports by team to show the assessor
- New starters trained as they join
Keep exploring
Explore more about EN 15085
EN 15085 resources
Services for EN 15085
Why Sterling
Why choose Sterling for EN 15085 certification?
Rail supply chains cross borders: a workshop in one country welds parts for a vehicle assembled in another. Sterling supports suppliers wherever they sit, with consultants who understand both welding control and the quality systems your rail customers already audit.
60+ countries since 2003
Management systems implemented for manufacturers and suppliers across regions, with offices in 21 countries and one engagement team for your programme.
One all-inclusive proposal
Consulting, Effivity, training and Academy access in one proposal; certification body and testing costs shown separately.
Built for the shop floor
Forms welders and inspectors can fill in at the bench, not a manual that lives in the office.
Expert and experienced consultants
Consultants who have built quality and process control for manufacturers since 2003, and who prepare your workshop so the assessment confirms control that already runs.
The Sterling Promise
What our EN 15085 certification success guarantee means
We stay with you until your agreed EN 15085 certification outcome is achieved, supporting implementation, preparation and the resolution of assessment findings. Clear explanations, practical delivery, included software and employee learning turn the investment into lasting capability rather than a certificate on a wall.
The engagement identifies the standard, scope, outcome and responsibilities. Your organisation supplies accurate information and puts the agreed controls into use. The independent certification body assesses conformity and retains its certification decision. Our commitment concerns the agreed certification support, not a promise of every future tender award or error-free delivery.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about EN 15085
Is EN 15085 certification mandatory for railway suppliers?
It is mandatory whenever your customer, tender or vehicle programme specifies it, which is common for welded rail vehicle parts. Check the purchase order and supplier requirements; they state whether a certificate is required and for what scope. We help you read that wording before you commit to a scope.
Does EN 15085 apply to repair and maintenance welding?
It can, and your certification body confirms it for your case. Repair and overhaul shops that weld railway vehicles or components are often asked for the certificate; whether your repair work sits in the scope depends on what you weld and what your customer specifies, so settle it in scope definition.
What is the difference between EN 15085 and ISO 3834?
ISO 3834 is the ISO series of quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials, while EN 15085 is the European series written specifically for welding of railway vehicles and components. A rail customer that specifies EN 15085 will look for that certificate. If you also weld for other sectors, we can plan both together so one welding system serves every customer.
Can we get EN 15085 and ISO 22163 (IRIS) certification together?
Yes, many rail suppliers run both, because ISO 22163 covers the whole business and EN 15085 covers welding. One set of documents, audits and records in Effivity can serve both, with separate assessments by the respective certification bodies.
How can a customer check our EN 15085 certificate?
Customers usually search the online EN 15085 register, where certificates and their scope are listed. Once your certificate is issued, check that the register entry matches the scope you requested and share the link with your customers.
Keep exploring
More on EN 15085 and related standards
More in Automotive, aerospace, rail & defence
Talk to a consultant
Plan your EN 15085 railway welding certification.
Tell us what you weld, where, and when your customer needs the certificate. We will help you set the scope, timeline and next steps.
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