Approval of Rolling Stock

In principle, each railway vehicle travelling in Switzerland requires a valid approval in the form of an operating licence.

The MUTZ (German acronym for Modern, Universal Multiple Unit Train) has been reliably operating for BLS on the lines of the Bern S-Bahn since 2012.
© BLS AG

The Federal Office of Transport (FOT) issues operating licenses on the basis of Articles 6a, 6b, 7, 8 and 15a-z of the Ordinance on the Construction and Operation of Railways (Railway Ordinance, RailO).

Test drives and delivery of vehicles also require an operating licence, which is limited in duration.

The entire procedure – from submission of the application to provision of the safety case and issuance of the operating licence – is described in the Directive ‘Approval of Rolling Stock’.

Directive Approval of rolling stock

Directive on the basis of the Articles 6a, 7, 8 and 15a-z of the Ordinance on the Construction and Operation of Railways (Railway Ordinance, RailO)

Directive Authorisation of historical railway vehicles