System for monitoring a pantograph of a railway vehicle, comprising a pantograph being adapted to be connected to a catenary and electrically connected to a traction unit, the catenary being adapted to provide an alternating current to the railway vehicle, the system further comprising: a voltage step detection device (26, 28, 66) for detecting a voltage step of a pantograph voltage at the pantograph, a zero crossing detection device (42, 60, 66, 82) for detecting a zero crossing of a line current, the line current (I L) being a portion of a pantograph current provided to the traction unit, the pantograph current being the current flowing through the pantograph; and a bouncing detection portion adapted to determine at least one bouncing time of the pantograph indicating how long a bouncing has occurred based on one or more detected voltage steps of the voltage step detection device and one or more detected zero crossings of the zero crossing detection device, characterised in that the bouncing detection portion is adapted to detect at least one arc period of an electrical arc between the pantograph and the catenary based on one or more detected voltage steps of the voltage step detection device and one or more detected zero crossings of the zero crossing detection device, wherein the bouncing detection portion includes a state machine comprising a first state, when the pantograph is connected to the catenary and at least one second state and/or third state (102, 104), when the pantograph is disconnected from the catenary, wherein the state machine is adapted to pass over between the first, second and/or third states (100, 102, 104) based on a detected voltage step, in particular the first signal, and a detected zero crossing, in particular the second signal, wherein the determined bouncing time is determined based on a first time of the transition from the first state to the second state and a second time of the transition from one of the second or third states (102, 104) back to the first state, wherein the second state defines that there is an arc between the pantograph and the catenary and the third state defines that there is no arc between the pantograph and the catenary, wherein the state machine is adapted to pass over from the second to the third state upon a detected zero crossing, in particular the second signal, and to pass over from the third state to the second state upon a detected voltage step, wherein the determined arc period is determined based on the time the state machine is in the second state. a voltage step detection device (26, 28, 66) for detecting a voltage step of a pantograph voltage at the pantograph, a zero crossing detection device (42, 60, 66, 82) for detecting a zero crossing of a line current, the line current (I L) being a portion of a pantograph current provided to the traction unit, the pantograph current being the current flowing through the pantograph; and a bouncing detection portion adapted to determine at least one bouncing time of the pantograph indicating how long a bouncing has occurred based on one or more detected voltage steps of the voltage step detection device and one or more detected zero crossings of the zero crossing detection device, characterised in that the bouncing detection portion is adapted to detect at least one arc period of an electrical arc between the pantograph and the catenary based on one or more detected voltage steps of the voltage step detection device and one or more detected zero crossings of the zero crossing detection device, wherein the bouncing detection portion includes a state machine comprising a first state, when the pantograph is connected to the catenary and at least one second state and/or third state (102, 104), when the pantograph is disconnected from the catenary, wherein the state machine is adapted to pass over between the first, second and/or third states (100, 102, 104) based on a detected voltage step, in particular the first signal, and a detected zero crossing, in particular the second signal, wherein the determined bouncing time is determined based on a first time of the transition from the first state to the second state and a second time of the transition from one of the second or third states (102, 104) back to the first state, wherein the second state defines that there is an arc between the pantograph and the catenary and the third state defines that there is no arc between the pantograph and the catenary, wherein the state machine is adapted to pass over from the second to the third state upon a detected zero crossing, in particular the second signal, and to pass over from the third state to the second state upon a detected voltage step, wherein the determined arc period is determined based on the time the state machine is in the second state.