Fire incident investigation

Rolling stock fires occur every year. These incidents range from small technical defects or cigarette burn holes in the upholstery of vehicles to fully engulfed vehicle fires – sometimes even as moving vehicles during the fire. The incidents have decreased significantly in the last decades, but still happen regularly.

Identifying the root cause of an incident is the starting point to improve passenger and staff safety as well as asset value protection. The knowledge of the origin of a rolling stock fire incident enables all relevant stakeholders to define countermeasures and ensure that the specific root cause will not be the cause for another or maybe even more fire incidents.

TÜV SÜDs experts offer independent and precise fire incident investigation services and subsequently recommend mitigation measures to minimise the fire risk in the future. TÜV SÜD employs multiple experts acknowledged by the relevant authorities and did also investigate root causes for insurance companies.

The first protection goal of railway fire safety is of course the safety of passenger and staff. Once that is ensured, the next goal is asset protection and minimising the effects of a fire incident. To learn from occurring fires, the identification of the root causes of the fire and mitigating measures are crucial. A proper and independent fire incident investigation is important for this.

Rolling stock maintenance and rebuilt after a fire incident comes with many uncertainties, such as interrupted supply chains and sometimes year-long delivery times. Considering this, asset protection becomes a greater value for vehicle owners and operators – especially in the highly specialised field of railways. This makes it vital to avoid rolling stock fires as much as possible. Investigation does not just prevent future fires of the same type, but also identifies risks that may be present in all vehicles of the same type, including the rest of the fleet managed by the same owner or operator.

Compliance, regulations or contractual requirements also make fire incident investigation necessary. Authorities and insurance companies typically ask for an expert report on the rolling stock fire incident and the root cause of the fire.

TÜV SÜD is the No. 1 choice for fire incident investigations in rolling stock, with a broad range of experience in railway design, construction, and operation. 

Our detailed knowledge of technical systems allows a quick and cost-efficient investigation. With multidisciplinary knowledge, we can bring in quick input from other technical fields where necessary. We can customise our services to your specific needs.

TÜV SÜD Rail has multiple EBA (German railway authority) acknowledged assessors for fire incident investigations. We participate in nearly all rolling stock fire investigations in Germany.