The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) is proposing various measures to improve the safety of freight wagons. Some composite brake blocks pose a heightened risk of wagon wheels fracturing, which is what happened during the accident in the Gotthard Base Tunnel. Switzerland is now seeking to reduce the risk of that happening again.
The FOT hosted two roundtables with rail freight industry representatives to discuss possible safety measures. After the last roundtable on 7 August, it came out with a proposal for a variety of steps to take.
The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) in Switzerland is proposing the following measures for freight wagons passing through the country:
- Higher minimum wheel diameter for freight wagons
- More frequent maintenance intervals
- Clear maintenance tracking so railway undertakings can see whether a wagon’s maintenance interval has been met
- Responsibility for compliance placed on the company in charge of maintenance
- Immediate removal from service of wagons with overheated wheels, sending them to maintenance
The FOT says it intends to adopt and implement the measures as soon as possible, adding that “a key consideration here is economic viability”. They will apply to wagons with all types of composite brake blocks.
Alongside the currently proposed measures, the transport office is reviewing more short term and medium term improvements that it discussed with the rail freight industry. It will continue investigating the impact of composite brake blocks on wheels and promote braking system innovations.
“The FOT will continue to work to ensure that the requirements are adapted at the pan-European level”, the transport office concludes.
LL brake blocks
Various brake blocks are used in freight wagons. LL composite brake blocks are the most common in Europe. However, there have been numerous known incidents in which LL brake blocks have led to overheating of the wheel discs and the formation of ice, which can damage the wheel discs. LL brake blocks caused a wheel fracture that led to the Gotthard Base Tunnel accident.