January 2026: New Shock and Vibration Standard Enhances Railway Engineering Safety

Ensuring the safety, reliability, and long-term performance of railway vehicles has never been more important. With the publication of the new FprEN IEC 61373:2025 standard in January 2026, the field of railway engineering takes a significant leap forward. This latest standard establishes rigorous requirements for shock and vibration testing of rolling stock equipment, underpinning the safety of passengers, operators, and assets across global rail networks. For engineers, quality managers, and industry professionals, these updates present both a challenge and an opportunity to drive excellence in compliance, innovation, and operational assurance.

Overview / Introduction

Railway engineering faces demanding operational environments, where equipment on trains is exposed to continuous dynamic forces, shocks, and vibrations. The performance, durability, and integrity of every component—from electrical systems to mechanical equipment—are critical to maintaining safe, reliable railway services.

Standards act as the backbone of this sector, providing universally accepted benchmarks for design, validation, and quality control. The new FprEN IEC 61373:2025 standard will shape how organizations approach product testing, procurement, maintenance, and regulatory compliance for railway rolling stock worldwide.

In this article, you will discover:

• The scope and key requirements of the newly published shock and vibration standard.
• Updated methodologies, test categories, and technical changes from previous editions.
• Practical guidance for compliance, certification, and integration into new projects or retrofits.
• How these standards will impact equipment suppliers, railway operators, and infrastructure managers in 2026 and beyond.

Detailed Standards Coverage

FprEN IEC 61373:2025 – Shock and Vibration Tests for Rolling Stock Equipment

Railway applications – Rolling stock equipment – Shock and vibration tests

The January 2026 publication of FprEN IEC 61373:2025 by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and CENELEC introduces comprehensive, up-to-date requirements for testing items of equipment intended for use on railway vehicles and subjected to the harsh vibrational and shock environments of rail transport.

Scope and Application:

• The standard applies to pneumatic, electrical, and electronic equipment mounted on main structures of railway vehicles—specifically, body, bogie, or axle-mounted components.
• It establishes minimum functional and endurance test protocols to simulate real-world conditions and verify that equipment maintains performance and structural integrity through its service life.

Key Requirements and Specifications:

• Functional Random Vibration Test: Equipment must operate reliably under vibration levels representative of those encountered in normal rail service. The severity varies by location: body, bogie, or axle-mounted—with each classified by mass and mounting conditions.
• Simulated Long-Life Testing: Components are exposed to accelerated life cycles via increased vibration amplitude over extended durations (5 to 100 hours per axis, depending on category and duration). This is designed to reveal potential fatigue or failure modes early.
• Shock Testing: Simulates rare but significant in-service events (like sudden impacts or derailments). The focus is on post-test integrity verification—ensuring there’s no unacceptable deformation or performance loss.
• Mounting and Orientation Protocols: Emphasizes realistic installation setups, including direct or fixture-based mounting, correct torque for fasteners, and careful management of resilient mounts during specific tests.
• Test Categories:
  • Category 1: Body-Mounted Equipment (Class A and B)
  • Category 2: Bogie-Mounted Equipment
  • Category 3: Axle-Mounted Equipment
• Test Documentation & Reporting: Complete traceability is established through initial measurements, detailed records of mounting, orientation, reference/check points, and stepwise reporting of all test results, exemptions, and equipment status.
• Exemptions and Special Cases: Provides guidance for items and equipment outside the primary scope, such as traction motors or mechanical subsystems without electrical components, and outlines paths for partial certification where full test levels are not achievable.

Notable Changes from Prior Editions:

• Incorporation of custom acceleration spectral density (ASD) spectra based on real-world onboard measurements.
• Clear exclusions: traction motors, certain mechanical sub-assemblies, and main vehicle structure.
• Expanded guidance for multi-axis testing and the removal of resilient mounts in long-life tests.
• New annex on numerical validation by finite element analysis (FEA) and updated ASD tables/graphs for all categories.
• Enhanced reporting and traceability standards, especially for complex equipment and multi-point tests.

Key highlights:

• Categorized vibration profiles, test levels, and mounting protocols for all equipment locations.
• Endurance testing methodologies covering 5 and 100-hour scenarios for high-severity, long-life validation.
• Detailed protocols for reporting, exemptions, and specialized test cases.

Access the full standard:View FprEN IEC 61373:2025 on iTeh Standards

Industry Impact & Compliance

Adoption of FprEN IEC 61373:2025 has broad significance for organizations engaged in railway projects, including:

• Vehicle Manufacturers and Suppliers: Must phase in the new test procedures during design and validation of rolling stock equipment to ensure procurement contracts and product certifications remain compliant.
• Operators & Infrastructure Managers: Need assurance that all onboard and trackside equipment sourced after January 2026 meets the enhanced certification and traceability requirements.
• Testing Laboratories and Certification Bodies: Should update protocols and documentation to align with the new classification system, severity levels, and reporting requirements detailed in the standard.
• Quality and Compliance Managers: Responsibility now extends to oversight of both in-house and supplier test documentation, verification records, and long-term maintenance planning based on the more exhaustive endurance protocols.

Compliance considerations:

• Implementation timelines and contract requirements will likely necessitate transition plans—prioritizing high-risk, safety-related, or newly procured equipment.
• Full traceability and documentation, now core to the standard, should be integrated into enterprise quality management systems (QMS).
• Certification is dependent on strict adherence to method, including mounting, operation, and orientation protocols—exceptions must be documented and justified.

Benefits of adoption:

• Improved reliability and safety margins across the lifecycle of rolling stock deployments.
• Greater international harmonization and mutual recognition of test results between markets.
• Enablement of new procurement and maintenance models, leveraging advanced test data for predictive maintenance.

Risks of non-compliance:

• Potential regulatory actions, liability, and operational disruptions.
• Increased warranty claims and unplanned maintenance due to undetected equipment degradation or failure.
• Withdrawal of certification for equipment not tested to the new minimum standards.

Technical Insights

Common Technical Requirements across the Standard

• Test Categories:
  • Tests are stratified by installation location: body, bogie, or axle, with specific ASD spectra and RMS requirements.
  • Table-based criteria define frequency ranges, severity (ASD in m/s²²/Hz), and minimum/maximum durations for each axis and scenario.
• Mounting & Orientation:
  • Direct simulation of operational mounting condition, including torque specs and fastening types.
  • Treatment of resilient mounts: included in functional and shock tests, removed for long-life validation (with transfer function documented).
• Measurement & Validation:
  • Use of reference and check points for accurate data acquisition.
  • Advanced signal processing: ASD, RMS, probability density functions, and crest factor computations to confirm test validity.
  • Post-test acceptance criteria: no visible deformation, no significant change in mechanical state, and pass/fail on predefined functional checks.
  • Optional use of FEA and numerical techniques (Annex E) for highly complex structural components.
  • Adherence to IEC 60068-2 and ISO 3534 referenced test methodologies, ensuring compatibility with broader international testing regimes.

Best Practices and Implementation Guidance

1. Integrate Testing Early:

   • Engage with quality teams, test labs, and suppliers early in the design process to ensure all mounting, orientation, and functional criteria are captured.

2. Documentation & Traceability:

   • Maintain detailed test records, including reference/check points, test parameters, and exemption rationale.
   • Integrate with digital quality management and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems.

3. Certification & Validity:

   • Seek full certification where possible; document partial certification and conditions for any deviations.
   • Ensure numerical simulations (if used) follow Annex E recommendations for data acquisition and stress validation.

4. Continuous Monitoring & Maintenance:

   • Use test results as input into predictive maintenance and reliability programs—aligning asset health monitoring with real-world vibration data.

5. Supplier and Customer Coordination:

   • Establish contract clauses and quality agreements that mandate compliance with FprEN IEC 61373:2025, verify supplier declaration and test reports during procurement and audits.

Testing and Certification Considerations

• Select accredited test facilities familiar with both oil-filled and dry-mounted shock and vibration scenarios.
• Define and agree testing schedules—schedule lead times for complex assemblies, especially if re-certification due to minor design changes is required.
• Ensure measurement instruments and software are calibrated to the latest ISO/IEC standards.
• Plan for periodic updates and recertification in line with the proposed stability date (2027).

Conclusion / Next Steps

The new FprEN IEC 61373:2025 standard, effective January 2026, is a landmark update for professionals in railway engineering, ensuring world-class safety, reliability, and performance benchmarks for rolling stock equipment.

Key takeaways:

• New, more robust requirements for shock and vibration testing bring heightened confidence in both component integrity and passenger safety.
• The classification and certification approach enables clear traceability, facilitating international procurement, interoperability, and compliance.
• The standard drives efficiency by providing actionable protocols for both original equipment manufacturers and operators—reducing long-term costs and unplanned downtime.

What should organizations do next?

1. Review current and upcoming equipment specifications against the new standard’s requirements.
2. Update procurement policies to require compliance for all new equipment and retrofits.
3. Re-calibrate in-house test procedures or collaborate with accredited test labs to implement the updated test severity levels and reporting protocols.
4. Train engineering, quality, and procurement staff on the new methodologies, exemption processes, and documentation requirements.
5. Stay informed by monitoring iTeh Standards for future updates and related guidelines.

Explore the latest standards, access testing tools, and stay ahead of industry developments by visiting iTeh Standards online.