Railway Engineering

Independent Rail Vehicle Engineering
From Feasibility to Commissioning

Wyss&Lila is an independent Swiss engineering partner for rail vehicles and systems. We take responsibility for the complete development process feasibility, design, integration, verification, homologation and commissioning and for the engineering that follows a vehicle through service: modernization, maintenance engineering and technical documentation. Our teams deliver more than 180,000 engineering hours per year for OEMs, operators and leasing companies, working to EN, IEC and ISO standards on multiple units, high-end passenger trains, locomotives, light rail and trams.

Mechanical, Electrical & Software Engineering

We develop rail vehicles and vehicle subsystems as one integrated discipline: mechanical, electrical and software engineering in a single V-model development process. The scope runs from car-body and interior design through electrical architecture to embedded control software, together with the analyses that make a design certifiable: structural strength, running behaviour, EMC, RAMS and functional safety.

Reliability, availability, maintainability and safety are engineered into the design from the first requirement. RAMS analysis to EN 50126, functional safety and digital maintenance strategies are part of the development process itself, not documentation added at the end so every subsystem enters service with demonstrable, auditable reliability.

Key Capabilities:

Integrated mechanical and electrical design
Embedded software development and system architecture
V-model traceability and validation
RAMS and RCM implementation
Functional safety engineering
Lifecycle optimization through predictive diagnostics

Systems Engineering & Homologation From Concept to Certification

Systems engineering is where a project’s cost and certification risk are decided. Our certified engineers manage requirements, design, integration and validation as one traceable process to EN, IEC and ISO standards and prepare the evidence that assessment bodies and authorities need for approval. Four stages, one accountable team:

System Design: Car bodies, bogies, HVAC, sanitary, brake & pneumatic systems, doors, interiors, and other rolling stock components.

Integration & Installation: Seamless implementation of systems and subsystems, ensuring compatibility and performance.

Testing & Certification: Functional and acceptance testing, qualification procedures, and homologation support.

Lifecycle Analysis: Environmental impact, obsolescence management, and disposal planning.

TCMS & Digitalization

Wyss&Lila designs and develops complete Train Control and Monitoring Systems — hardware and software — for new vehicles and for migration projects on existing fleets. Our TCMS engineering covers SIL 4-critical functions, PLC programming and microcontroller-based control logic, engineered to TSI CCS, UNISIG and FRMCS.

Beyond the control system itself, we support operators with strategic digitalization: real-time data exchange, condition monitoring and predictive diagnostics that keep fleets compatible with modern onboard architectures and the communication standards that follow GSM-R.

Core capabilities:

TCMS hardware: VCU, RIOM, switches, HMI, real-time communication (CANopen, Profibus, Ethernet, MVB)

TCMS software: functional design specifications, SIL 4 logic, test scenarios, ICD lists, IEC 61131-3 programming

Automatic Train Operation: ETCS and NTC integration, GSM-R compatibility, FRMCS readiness

Passenger Systems: PA-PIS architecture, entertainment systems, content servers, TCP/IP implementation

Digitalization: real-time monitoring, data-driven diagnostics, system optimization

Vehicle Modernization & Mid-Life Upgrades

We plan and engineer modernization and mid-life upgrade programmes for existing fleets, from feasibility study and business case through redesign, integration, homologation and commissioning. Projects range from regional fleets to high-end intercity trains. As an OEM-independent partner, we define the scope around your operation and your business case, not a manufacturer’s catalogue.

What we modernize:

Interiors & passenger experience — high-end refits: seating, lighting, PIS and entertainment, PRM/TSI accessibility

Traction & major systems: converters, HVAC, doors, brakes and bogie-mounted equipment

TCMS & digital retrofit: control architecture migration, condition monitoring, FRMCS readiness

Obsolescence re-engineering: redesign and requalification of components no longer on the market

Life extension: structural assessment, requalification and upgrade concepts that add years of revenue service

Maintenance Engineering

Maintenance engineering connects vehicle design with daily operation. Our engineers translate operating data, RAMS analysis and RCM logic into maintenance programmes that raise fleet availability and reduce lifecycle cost, the same methods applied in our own ECM-certified maintenance organization.

What we deliver:

Maintenance programme development: intervals, work packages and resource planning built on RCM logic

Maintenance plan optimization: interval extension and task rationalization backed by reliability data

Spare parts & obsolescence strategy: demand forecasting, alternative qualification and repair-or-replace analysis

LCC & availability modelling: lifecycle cost and fleet availability simulation for tenders and contracts

Depot & workshop engineering: maintainability reviews, special tooling and test equipment specification

Technical Documentation – End to End

Technical documentation is a deliverable in its own right: approvals, maintenance, safety and asset value all depend on it. We produce, structure and maintain complete documentation sets across the vehicle lifecycle, from design dossiers and homologation files to maintenance manuals and as-maintained configuration records, in your languages and your systems.

Documentation we deliver: