Julia Schmid
Efficiently meet Swiss FOT documentation requirements: Automated inspection records for freight wagons
Post from 10. February 2026
Following the serious freight train accident in the Swiss Gotthard Base Tunnel in August 2023, the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) has introduced new technical regulations and maintenance guidelines for freight wagon wheelsets.
The incident, caused by a broken wheel disc on a wagon, led to the derailment of 16 wagons and extensive damage to the infrastructure.
This prompted the Swiss FOT to develop additional safety measures aimed at railway undertakings operating freight trains through Switzerland, as well as wagon owners and maintenance providers. Key measures include requirements for minimum wheel diameters, systematic and more frequent wagon inspections, and enhanced checks for freight wagon wheelsets with tread brakes. 1 These measures are expected to be fully implemented by the end of 2026 at the latest.
Currently, the Swiss FOT regulations are temporarily suspended. According to recent reports, the Joint Network Secretariat (JNS), the International Union of Wagon Keepers (UIP), the Swiss FOT, and European national safety authorities are working together to develop a practical, harmonized solution at the European level.
Vehicle owners operating freight trains through Switzerland, or the Entity in Charge of Maintenance (ECM), must ensure that inspections and maintenance comply with the requirements.
The latest version of the Swiss FOT regulation, published in October 2025, stipulates that by 1 January 2027 at the latest, every freight wagon passing through Switzerland must have a valid record of its most recent technical inspection. The documentation must be managed in such a way that a railway undertaking can verify the existence of proof before including a freight wagon in a train. 2
We are providing our customers with the right tools
Boom Rail Solutions support the ECM in maintenance planning and documentation and meet the Swiss FOT’s documentation requirements by generating the maintenance certificate as a PDF for each maintained freight wagon, whenever needed.
The new feature for automated PDF certificate generation per freight wagon is now available in our standard core modules, Rail Asset and Rail Workshop. It can be created both by the maintenance provider (ECM 4) as part of the operational release and by the fleet maintenance manager (ECM 3) during recommissioning or on-site maintenance.
Do you have any questions or would you like to find out more? Our product experts will be happy to advise you personally. Simply send an informal email to: railexperts@boomsoftware.com
Digression: Legal basis
In June 2025, the Swiss Federal Safety Investigation Authority (SUST) published its report on the accident in the Gotthard Base Tunnel. The report highlighted that, due to the new composite brake blocks, there was a systematic risk of wheel failures in rail freight transport. Based on its investigation, SUST issued recommendations to the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA).
In addition, the Swiss FOT held discussions with industry representatives. Following these discussions, the Swiss FOT introduced measures intended to ensure the safety of rail freight transport in Switzerland.3
After an interim injunction by the Swiss Federal Administrative Court, the Swiss FOT regulations were temporarily suspended. According to recent reports, the International Union of Wagon Keepers (UIP), the Joint Network Secretariat (JNS), the Swiss FOT, and European national safety authorities are committed to finding a joint, practical solution. 4
Digression: Swiss FOT safety measures
The specific safety measures concerning wheelsets and the required inspection and maintenance intervals are communicated in the Swiss FOT directive “Measures relating to the safety of freight wagons.” This regulation covers all requirements related to the condition, inspection, and maintenance of tread-braked wheelsets, as well as the documentation of maintenance activities.
The measures originally announced in September 2025 were amended in October 2025 in two areas:
In rail transport, the topic of safety is extremely wide-ranging and complex - this is primarily because the protection of life and limb, of passengers, residents and people involved in rail operations, as well as of resources such as vehicles and infrastructures, is paramount.
More
Putting one's eye toward rail-specific processes, the controversial question is often which system should be used by transport companies to digitalize these processes.
More
The fault indication app was specially developed to offer train drivers, train attendants and machine operators an uncomplicated and efficient way to generate fault indications.
MoreWe have dedicated ourselves to the
development of software solutions that lift your business to new heights.
Our products are used in the sectors rail, local public transport, industrial maintenance and production.
The aim of RailVoice is to connect international experts from the railroad industry with a platform that offers the opportunity for a mutual exchange of knowledge.
Change the future of mobility with us!
Together with the right ecosystem, we want to drive digital innovation even further. That is why we are striving for international partnerships.
In this context, we are looking for integration, sales and software partners, among others.
You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Turnstile. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from Instagram. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationYou are currently viewing a placeholder content from X. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information