A brake system comprising: at least one central control apparatus for controlling a brake system in a rail vehicle, said central control apparatus comprising: - first interface means for providing access to a first bus system for communication of a higher communication level of a gateway functionality to at least one external vehicle-specific control system of said rail vehicle; - second interface means for providing access to a second bus system for connecting local application devices of said brake system; - gateway means for providing said gateway functionality between the first bus system and the second bus system; and - control means for providing project-specific brake-control specific application logic of a lower communication level which comprises brake algorithms for said local application devices of a vehicle segment of said rail vehicle via said second interface means, at least one local control apparatus which is adapted to be controlled by the central control apparatus in order to provide brake control in a vehicle segment of a rail vehicle, said local control apparatus comprising: - interface means for providing access to the bus system; and - brake control means for providing said brake control in response to a brake-control specific application logic received by said interface means via said bus system, and said first and second bus systems (200, 300), wherein the first bus system is a standardized consist or train level bus, the second bus system is a safety network bus, the brake-control specific application logic is project specific, comprises brake algorithms and is implemented on the central control apparatus, and said brake control means is adapted to provide brake control functions with standardized configurable software programs. at least one central control apparatus for controlling a brake system in a rail vehicle, said central control apparatus comprising: - first interface means for providing access to a first bus system for communication of a higher communication level of a gateway functionality to at least one external vehicle-specific control system of said rail vehicle; - second interface means for providing access to a second bus system for connecting local application devices of said brake system; - gateway means for providing said gateway functionality between the first bus system and the second bus system; and - control means for providing project-specific brake-control specific application logic of a lower communication level which comprises brake algorithms for said local application devices of a vehicle segment of said rail vehicle via said second interface means, - first interface means for providing access to a first bus system for communication of a higher communication level of a gateway functionality to at least one external vehicle-specific control system of said rail vehicle; - second interface means for providing access to a second bus system for connecting local application devices of said brake system; - gateway means for providing said gateway functionality between the first bus system and the second bus system; and - control means for providing project-specific brake-control specific application logic of a lower communication level which comprises brake algorithms for said local application devices of a vehicle segment of said rail vehicle via said second interface means, at least one local control apparatus which is adapted to be controlled by the central control apparatus in order to provide brake control in a vehicle segment of a rail vehicle, said local control apparatus comprising: - interface means for providing access to the bus system; and - brake control means for providing said brake control in response to a brake-control specific application logic received by said interface means via said bus system, and - interface means for providing access to the bus system; and - brake control means for providing said brake control in response to a brake-control specific application logic received by said interface means via said bus system, and said first and second bus systems (200, 300), wherein the first bus system is a standardized consist or train level bus, the second bus system is a safety network bus, the brake-control specific application logic is project specific, comprises brake algorithms and is implemented on the central control apparatus, and said brake control means is adapted to provide brake control functions with standardized configurable software programs.