From January 1, 2026, a mandatory requirement has been introduced on the 1520 mm gauge railway network to install exclusively new bearings when forming freight car wheelsets. This decision was the result of the work of an interdepartmental working group, which in August 2025 considered issues of reliability and safety in the use of bearings in freight rolling stock.
Following this, the Council for Railway Transport of the CIS member states approved the corresponding amendments to the guiding document RD VNIIZhT 27.05.01-2017, which regulates the repair and maintenance of wheelsets with axle box assemblies on mainline railways of 1520/1524 mm gauge.
To prevent non-compliance with the new standard, in December 2025 the working group additionally decided to introduce enhanced control by specialists of the inspection center "Priyomka vagonov i komplektuyushchikh". Inspectors will verify compliance with the technology at all sites where new wheelsets are formed, paying special attention to the use of only new bearings.