Rail Safety or Red Tape? UIP Urges Bern to Rejoin EU Process

Switzerland moved to immediately tighten freight-wagon safety after investigators linked composite brake blocks to a systemic risk of wheel fractures in the Gotthard Base Tunnel accident. Rail freight owners and operators across Europe, however, say Bern’s unilateral approach could force rapid retrofits and inspections by end-2025, straining fleets and supply chains.

What Bern Has Decided

According to the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (BAV), the new package focuses on wheel integrity and maintenance discipline. Key elements include a minimum wheel diameter of 864 mm for specified axle types running in Switzerland (the current European reference is 860 mm), and shorter, systematic intervals for wagon-technical inspections tied to brake-block type and wheel diameter, at 50,000 km or 200,000 km.

The inspection must visually check the whole wheel and minimum diameter, assess any heat overload or other damage, and include a "sound test" to detect hidden defects. Rail undertakings will have to verify each wagon has a valid record of its last technical inspection before marshaling it into a train transiting Switzerland, BAV said. Staff training also tightens: drivers should adapt driving to avoid wheel overheating, and a Klangprobe should be performed at departure where operationally possible. Implementation starts now, with full compliance required by the end of 2025, the office added.

The measures follow the June 2025 report by Switzerland’s independent accident investigation body (SUST), which found composite brake blocks introduce a systematic fracture risk in freight wheels and issued recommendations to the EU Agency for Railways (ERA). BAV says it consulted with industry and then issued measures to secure freight safety on Swiss territory.

Why Operators Are Alarmed

The International Union of Wagon Keepers (UIP) argues that the Swiss decree, though softened from earlier drafts, still imposes unilateral national requirements on pan-European traffic and risks cascading disruption. In a press statement, UIP warns that imposing new wheel thresholds, inspection proofs, and technical prescriptions on all wagons circulating "in and through" Switzerland by 31 December 2025 could overburden keepers, fragment rules, and undercut the ongoing harmonised process under ERA’s Joint Network Secretariat (JNS). UIP calls on BAV to withdraw the decree and re-engage fully in the JNS track toward EU-wide recommendations due later this year, stressing that safety should be delivered through evidence-based, coordinated measures rather than isolated national rules.

UIP also points to the EU–Switzerland Land Transport Agreement, arguing Bern should avoid unilateral steps that effectively create a barrier within the single European rail area. The association says European actors, including wagon keepers, have already implemented improvements since the Gotthard incident under JNS guidance, and fear parallel Swiss-only rules will add cost, uncertainty, and operational friction at borders.

What Happens Next

BAV’s decision applies to rail undertakings operating freight trains through Switzerland, wagon keepers, and Swiss-based maintenance entities, with immediate rollout and a hard deadline by year-end 2025. Operators now face accelerated wheel fleet checks, documentation upgrades to prove inspection status wagon-by-wagon, and possible re-planning to keep non-conforming stock out of Swiss consists until rectified. Whether Switzerland refines its approach to align with the forthcoming ERA/JNS recommendations, or whether the rules stand and trigger a rapid retrofit cycle, will set the tone for winter operations and 2026 planning across Alpine freight corridors.

(Sources: BAV; UIP.)