AS 7515 Axles & AS 7516 Axle Bearings

The closing date for comments – Monday 28 April 2025

The AS 7515 Axles & AS 7516 Axle Bearings are now open for Public Consultation.

How this product helps the rail industry 

Axles and axle bearings form a critical part of rolling stock design, construction, and maintenance. Failure of these components can have serious consequences, particularly if they happen at speed or involve passenger services.

This review of AS 7515 and AS 7516 considered requests from industry to update these Standards, as well as reports from recent incidents involving axle and axle bearing failures. The storage of axle bearings was a particular focus of this review given the impact this can have on the usability of the bearing in service.

About

AS 7515 and AS 7516 provide requirements and recommendations for the design, manufacture, and maintenance of axles and axle bearings. This covers new and existing axles and axle bearings used in the Australian railway industry. Due to the different requirements for light rail rolling stock, light rail is not covered.

How to contribute

AS 7515 Axles & AS 7516 Axle Bearings will be available for public consultation for 60 days. All interested parties are encouraged to provide comments during this time.

It is available to download here: 

• AS 7515 Axles
• AS 7516 Axle Bearings

To make comments on the draft, please use the commenting tools in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader to comment in-line with the text.

Please return your PDF with comments to cfitzhardinge@rissb.com.au by Monday 28 April 2025.

As the rail industry’s accredited Standards Development Organisation (SDO), RISSB continues to collaborate with government, rail operators and industry leaders to improve the efficiency and harmonisation of the Australia and New Zealand’s rail network, ensuring national interoperability, safety and sustainability into the future.