Railways Software Testing Tools | QA Systems

Embedded Software in the Railway Sector

Embedded systems play a crucial role in railway technologies, including train control, on-board systems, ATP, and signalling. In these environments, software failures can lead to severe consequences: from operational disruption to safety risks and brand damage.

To ensure the safety and reliability of railway systems, industry leaders adopt rigorous testing and international standards, including the newly introduced EN 50716:2023. This unified standard governs the development and verification of railway software across all Safety Integrity Levels (SW-SIL 0–4).

QA Systems supports the railway sector with certified software verification tools like Cantata and QA-MISRA, used across high-profile projects. From ATP to ATO and ETCS, our tools help reduce risk, speed up certification, and deliver standard-compliant results across both metro and mainline rail networks.

Read the Industrial Automation Sector Brief

Key Standards for Railway Software Quality

QA Systems tools support full compliance with the latest and most relevant railway software standards:

EN 50716:2023 (Replaces EN 50128 & EN 50657)
MISRA C/C++, CERT C/C++, CWE for secure, reliable coding

EN 50716 governs the development and verification of software used in railway control, signalling, and rolling stock. It covers all Software Safety Integrity Levels (SW-SILs) and defines the use of tools in safety-related development, including tool classification and qualification.

QA Systems tools help meet requirements across the full software lifecycle (from assurance and development to deployment and maintenance) with certified automation and compliance support.

Cantata and QA-MISRA are certified for use in safety-related applications up to SW-SIL 4, with free tool certification kits available.

For further information, please see the links below: