David Karbe
Teamleader Safety Application Projects
- High level of expertise in the results-oriented application of the EN 5012x standards and the CSM-RA for development and realisation projects
- In-depth, methodical expertise in risk and hazard analyses
- High level of analytical understanding and goal-orientated approach in the areas of project management, approval and safety management
- Many years of experience in national and international railway projects
Contact David Karbe at the Berlin office
David Karbe is Teamleader Safety Application Projects at NEXTRAIL GmbH and in this position is primarily responsible for functional safety in the railway sector and the associated RAMS management and process harmonisation of laws and standards. As an engineer for planning, consulting and testing in the field of RAMS engineering, he has a high level of expertise in national and international projects in the areas of hazard, risk and CSM analysis, RAMS and project management through to verification and validation. He also has in-depth knowledge of the complex approval processes in the railway sector.
Process harmonisation of laws and standards. As an engineer for planning, consulting and testing in the field of RAMS engineering, he has a high level of expertise in national and international projects in the areas of hazard, risk and CSM analysis, RAMS and project management through to verification and validation. He also has in-depth knowledge of the complex approval processes in the railway sector.
Before joining NEXTRAIL as a Senior Consultant, he gained extensive experience in RAMS management in a national and international environment during his professional career at one of the world's leading international rail mobility manufacturers and at one of the largest German engineering companies. David Karbe combines in-depth methodological expertise in risk and hazard analyses with profound expert knowledge of railway-specific procedures and approval processes. And he does this across the entire process chain from development and approval, through safety verification for realisation, to the commissioning of projects in the field.
He is currently using his extensive expertise in the pragmatic and results-oriented application of the EN5012x standards in combination and harmonisation with the CSM-RA, TSI, EIGV, sector guideline and BAU-STE.
Personal project references for David Karbe
ETCS, Rhine-Alpine and Karlsruhe Basel corridor, DB Infra GO. RAMS management in the large-scale ETCS projects Rhine-Alpine corridor and Karlsruhe Basel.
Advanced Protection System (APS), DB Infra GO. Supporting the development of the Advanced Protection System in the area of safety management.
ATO GoA2 Generic (ATO-TS), DB Infra GO. Support in the development of the ATO GoA2 Generic.
LST architecture SmartRail 4.0, SBB. Development of a new LST architecture for the Swiss Federal Railways.
The major ETCS Corridor Rhine-Alpine and Karlsruhe Basel projects are part of Digital Rail Germany and are part of DB's ‘Strong Rail’ umbrella strategy for standardised, digitally controlled train traffic in Europe. For example, with the introduction of the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 and digital signal boxes (DSTW) on the highly frequented and cross-border section between Oberhausen-Sterkrade on the Lower Rhine and the Swiss border (Weil am Rhein).
Development and introduction of a European standard-compliant safety management system in accordance with EN 5012x, as well as harmonisation and consolidation of the TSI-ZZS, EIGV, CSM-RA and EN 5012x processes.
Key services:
- Development and introduction of an EU standard-compliant safety management system in accordance with EN 5012x
- Harmonisation and consolidation of TSI-ZZS, EIGV, CSM-RA and EN 5012x processes
- Obtaining an EC Intermediate Examination Certificate for Technical Interoperability (TSI) for the design by a Notified Body (NoBo)
- Obtaining a safety assessment report from an independent assessment body, the Assessment Body (AsBo)
- Obtaining an EC certificate of verification for the overall system from a Notified Body (NoBo)
- Obtaining the commissioning authorisations for the major Rhine-Alpine corridor project, border operating lines between Switzerland and Germany
The Advanced Protection System (APS) is a central component of the future Advanced Digital Infrastructure (ADI) in rail transport. With the introduction of this new protection logic by ETCS, the closely synchronised movement of rail vehicles at an optimum distance (moving block) will be made possible. This means a move away from the traditional block-centred spacing to a train-centred spacing, whereby the train as a safety object comes to the fore.
As part of the APS project, David Karbe is RAMS Manager for the support of DB and its industrial partners:
- Supporting Safety Management in the creation of safety documentation in accordance with EN50126 Phase 1-4.
- In addition, NEXTRAIL is developing cross-divisional test cases for the Moving Block Demonstrator at European level in the R2DATO project in the Innovation Pillar.
With the commissioning of the Stuttgart Digital Node (DKS) in 2026, Deutsche Bahn is defining the parameters for the digital transformation of the railway in Germany. In this project, all technologies of DSTW, ETCS, IT security, bbIP and various peripheral systems will be equipped together for the first time at a central German railway node and introduced in regular operation.
NEXTRAIL supports the project in the area of safety management with the creation and maintenance of the safety plan and the technical review of the phase-related documents by EN 50126.
NEXTRAIL supported SBB in the development of a new type of architecture based on geometric logic for control and signalling technology (LST). The long-term goal is to increase track capacity and thus SBB's competitiveness.
The focus was on (partially) automatic project planning (EDP) and Topo4:
- In the EDP sub-project, NEXTRAIL supported the development of a faster, as well as partially automated, project planning process for SmartRail 4.0, focussing on the ETCS interlocking and the connected systems such as Object Controller.
- As part of this project, NEXTRAIL created the documentation in accordance with CENELEC phases 1-5 for the TOPO4 and AMP sub-projects across all departments.
