{"id":349550,"date":"2026-01-15T19:35:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T09:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=68675"},"modified":"2026-01-15T19:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T09:35:30","slug":"unilateral-national-actions-jeopardise-interoperability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=349550","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Unilateral national actions jeopardise interoperability\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The current issue between Switzerland and the rest of Europe regarding wheels of rail freight wagons was once again under the spotlight at the latest VPI Symposium held in Hamburg. One of the points made by UIP President Johann Feindert was that interoperability cannot be achieved with unilateral measures such as the one attempted by the Swiss.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Feindert\u2019s words were echoed by VPI Chairman Malte Lawrenz, who underlined the importance of European cohesion in an international business such as rail freight. \u201c”As a cross-border mode of transport, we must always develop solutions within a European context. This applies to infrastructure as well as regulations\u201d.<\/p>\n

The bone of contention<\/h2>\n

The roots of the problem are found in the derailment of a freight train inside the Gotthard Base Tunnel in August 2023. The accident, which caused over 100 million euros in damages and a 13-month closure of a key artery for the European supply chain, happened due to a faulty wheel. An undetectable crack led the train to derail, highlighting a continent-wide issue.<\/p>\n

Switzerland, through its Office of Transport (FOT), decided to unilaterally implement new regulations, causing adverse reactions all over the Old Continent. Some of the largest wagon leasing companies took the FOT to court, which decided in their favour<\/a>. The FOT has until 24 January to appeal the decision.<\/p>\n

On the EU side, the Joint Network Secretariat<\/a> finally published its regulations, which are quite similar to the Swiss ones but with longer implementation periods to ensure a softer transition. This development was warmly welcomed by most industry segments and, during the VPI Symposium, Feindert considered them \u201cas the central basis for further action on this issue\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The current issue between Switzerland and the rest of Europe regarding wheels of rail freight wagons was once again under the spotlight at the latest\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[471,336,47],"tags":[12634],"class_list":["post-349550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-policy","category-rail-news","tag-railfreight"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t