G/TBT/N/CHE/196  
 
21 May 2015  
(15-2645)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member: SWITZERLAND  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):    
2. Agency responsible: Federal Office of Transport (FOT) 
Name and address (including telephon e and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :  
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO 
Holzikofenweg 36, 3003 Berne 
Fax +41 (0)58 464 09 58 tbt@seco.admin.ch  
www.seco.admin.ch  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applic able, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Railway freight wagons 
with cast-iron brake blocks 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Draft revision of 
the Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council on railway noise abatement (4 pages; available in 
German, French and Italian) 
6. Description of content: The revised Federal Act on railway noise abatement 
(SR 742.144), which entered into force on 1 March 2014, obliges the Federal Council to 
introduce noise emission limits for freight wagons in Switzerland by 2020 (article 4). As notified to the members of the WTO on 23 May 2012 (G/TBT/N/CHE/152) in the context of the revision of the Federal Act on railway noise abatement, Switzerland foresees to specify 
these noise emission limits in the Ordinance of the Swiss Federal Council on railway noise 
abatement. This would align Swiss limits for pass-by noise with the EU Regulation on technical specification for interoperability relating to the subsystem 'rolling stock – noise' 
(No. 1304/2014). 
Following a transition period, the emission limits would apply to all freight wagons in 
Switzerland, entering or running through Swit zerland from 1.1.2020. Exceptions for special 
vehicles and vintage cars are foreseen.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: 
Switzerland has implemented a comprehensive noise abatement program and equipped 
Swiss rolling stock with low-noise braking technology. However, over a third of the Swiss 
population next to railway lines is still expose d to noise above the threshold, in particular 
due to international train compositions. With the “New Rail Link” through the Alps, rail 
freight transportation through Switzerland is expected to increase. Switzerland is a densely 
populated country; tourist areas and narrow valle ys would be particularly affected by the 
expected increase in freight rail traffic and its noise. Improving air quality by shifting the 
transportation of goods from road to rail should not increase noise pollution for those living 
next to a railway line. G/TBT/N/CHE/196 
 
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  The LL brake blocks homologation by the International Union of Railways in 2013 allows an 
inexpensive and quick retrofitting of older vehicles with low-noise brakes according to the latest technology as maintenance measure.  
8. Relevant documents:   
German: 
Totalrevision Verordnung über die Lärmsanierung der Eisenbahnen (VLE); 
http://www.bav.admin.ch/ls/04911  
Bundesgesetz über die Lärmsanierung der Eisenbahnen (SR 742.144); 
http://www.admin.ch/opc/de/classifi ed-compilation/19994383/index.html  
French: 
Révision totale de l'Ordonnance sur la réduction du bruit émis par les chemins de fer 
(OBCF); http://www.bav.admin.ch/ls/04911/?lang=fr  
Loi fédérale sur la réduction du bruit émis par les chemins de fer (RS 742.144); 
http://www.admin.ch/opc/fr/classifi ed-compilation/19994383/index.html  
Italian: 
Revisione totale dell'ordinanza concernente il risanamento fonico delle ferrovie (ORFF); 
http://www.bav.admin.ch/ls/04911/index.html?lang=it  
Legge federale concernente il risanamento fonico delle ferrovie (RS 742.144); 
https://www.admin.ch/opc/it/classifi ed-compilation/19994383/index.html    
9. Proposed date of adoption: 1 January 2016 
Proposed date of entry into force: 1 January 2016  
10. Final date for comments: 31 July 2015 
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [ X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
https://members. wto.org/crnattachments/2 015/TBT/CHE/15_2058_00_f.pdf  
https://member s.wto.org/crnattachments/2 015/TBT/CHE/15_2058_00_x1.pdf  
https://member s.wto.org/crnattachments/2 015/TBT/CHE/15_2058_00_x2.pdf