Guide · definitions
What is a road-rail vehicle (or road-rail equipment)?
A road-rail vehicle, also called road-rail equipment, is a machine able to run on road or on site, on tyres or tracks, then on a rail track thanks to rail equipment. The main types are the road-rail excavator, the road-rail MEWP, the road-rail truck and the road-rail shunter. It combines the rules for construction equipment (CACES, VGP, maintenance logbook) with those of the rail network on which it works.
What is a road-rail vehicle? Discover its uses, rail equipment, inspections and the information to track to manage the fleet.
Key points
Definition: the machine, its rail equipment, its context
A road-rail vehicle is designed or adapted to work with two travel modes: off-track, on tyres or tracks depending on the machine, and on a rail track thanks to dedicated rail equipment. An excavator, a MEWP or a service vehicle can therefore reach a worksite by road and then be set onto the track under the conditions set for its model and the site.
The term describes a family of equipment, not a universal operational status. Two visually similar machines can have different configurations, limits of use, safety equipment and compliance files. The exact identification of the machine and its configuration is therefore the starting point.
The base machine
Excavator, MEWP, vehicle or specialised equipment, with its fleet number, chassis and own characteristics.
The rail equipment
Guidance, running gear, braking, track-circuit shunting or accessories depending on the design and conditions of use.
The operating context
Network, worksite, task, personnel, procedures and restrictions applicable to both travel and work.
Technical capability and authorisation are not the same thing
The fact that a machine is fitted for the track does not, by itself, allow the conclusion that it can be used on a given site. Compliance, authorisations and conditions of use are checked with the competent parties.
Typology
The main families found on rail worksites
A useful typology is not only there to classify the fleet. It lets you attach to each family the documents, accessories, skills, inspection templates and restrictions that match it.
| Family | Common uses | Information to attach |
|---|---|---|
| Road-rail excavator | Earthworks, handling, laying or removal depending on the attachment | Configuration, tools, load charts or limits, rail components and associated reports |
| Road-rail MEWP | Access at height and work on installations | Working configuration, accessories, applicable inspections and reserves |
| Road-rail vehicle or utility vehicle | Transporting crews, inspection or carrying equipment | Identification, onboard equipment, documents and fitness for the mission |
| Specialised rail equipment | Cable laying, welding, measuring, maintenance or a dedicated task | Function, sub-assemblies, consumables and site-specific requirements |
A classification to adapt to the actual fleet
Commercial names do not replace the technical datasheet. In fleet management software, families must stay configurable to reflect the company’s equipment and procedures.
Types
Types of road-rail vehicles, with example models
Wikipedia classifies road-rail vehicles into several families: passenger transport vehicles, trucks of all kinds, forklifts and MEWPs, specialised track-work equipment, excavators and road-rail shunters on tyres (“Véhicule rail-route” article). The table below lists the most common families on worksites, with example models published on manufacturers’ or distributors’ official websites (recorded on 2 October 2026).
| Type | What it is used for | Example models published | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road-rail excavator | Earthworks, clearing, handling rails and sleepers, lifting if fitted | Mecalac 106MRail to 216MRail; Liebherr A 922 and A 924 Rail Litronic; Colmar T2400 to T10000 | Road-rail excavator |
| Road-rail MEWP | Working at height: overhead lines, signalling, structures, stations | Platform Basket RR11T and RR14 EVO3-FR; Neotec SKY C14 and SKY D14; SKYRAILER 120RR | Road-rail MEWP |
| Road-rail truck or vehicle | Road carrier fitted for the track: MEWP, crane, crew or equipment transport | Depending on the carrier and the converter | Road-rail truck |
| Road-rail shunter | Shunting and hauling wagons, for example on an industrial site or a multimodal platform | Unimog UGE 423, MOL Rail Route, ZAGRO E-MAXI (Lemonnier range) | Road-rail shunter |
| Light road-rail equipment and trailer | Compact self-propelled equipment; trailers hitched to a machine | ELAN range and 1 t Alutrailer trailer (Neotec) | Glossary |
Model sources: Mecalac, Liebherr, SRT (Colmar), Groupe PBF (Platform Basket), Neotec, Salti, Lemonnier. These lists are not exhaustive and do not constitute a recommendation.
How a road-rail vehicle runs on the track
Solutions range from the simplest to the most complete: guide rollers around the road tyres, which remain the drive wheels, up to true rail axles with rail wheels (source: Wikipedia, above). At Mecalac, for example, the 156MRail moves thanks to its tyres resting on the rails, while the 216MRail has a hydrostatic rail transmission on four rail wheels. This technical choice changes which parts need monitoring and how the rail components are maintained.
Operation
The operating cycle, from request to return to the fleet
A record stays in good shape throughout the job. Waiting until departure to look for a document, or until the return to log an issue, creates blind spots between the office, the field and the workshop.
- Qualify the mission Identify the site, the task, the environment, the planned period and the configuration needed.
- Assign a compatible machine Compare the request with the fleet record, known restrictions, accessories and availability.
- Prepare the file Gather the expected documents, check the deadlines tracked and deal with open reserves.
- Log departure and handover Record the condition observed, the equipment handed over and the people involved.
- Monitor use Log the planned checks, events, photos, observations and decisions taken during the mission.
- Close the return Compare the condition, open the necessary actions, bring parts back into stock and update availability.
Working checklist
- ✓ The machine is identified unambiguously.
- ✓ The requested configuration matches the one prepared.
- ✓ The documents expected for the mission are present and legible.
- ✓ Open reserves have an owner and an explicit decision.
- ✓ Accessories handed over at departure are reconciled on return.
- ✓ The job history is linked to the machine’s record.
Fleet management
What specialised software brings to road-rail tracking
A spreadsheet can list dates, but it struggles to describe the links between a machine, its equipment, a job, a report and a reserve. Business software structures these relationships and shows each role the information it needs.
Trackary centralises the machine’s record, the deadlines configured, job scheduling and field reports. The software helps find evidence and spot a pending action; the decision to use the machine stays with the people authorised to make it, under their own procedures.
- A durable record per machine and categories suited to the fleet.
- Distinct inspection templates depending on the family or the mission.
- A history shared by the office, the field and the workshop.
- Readable alerts and statuses, without turning an indicator into an authorisation.
Trackary is a management tool
It organises the information and evidence entered by the teams. It does not check a machine’s physical compliance and does not replace the applicable procedures or the competent bodies or people.
Regulations
Road-rail vehicle: the basic regulations
A road-rail vehicle combines two worlds: that of construction equipment and lifting equipment (French Labour Code, Code du travail), and that of rail (the network’s or the site’s rules). The points below are the most common; they do not replace the analysis of your inspection body or the client’s requirements.
| Topic | What to remember | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Driving a road-rail excavator | CACES R.482, category B3 “road-rail equipment with sequential travel (road-rail hydraulic excavators)” | INRS |
| Driving a road-rail MEWP | CACES R.486 (MEWP), category A or B depending on the type of lift | INRS |
| Driving authorisation | Issued by the employer; it takes into account medical fitness and the check of knowledge and skills | INRS |
| VGP for a lifting appliance for persons (MEWP) | Every 6 months | French ministerial order of 1 March 2004 (arrêté du 1er mars 2004), art. 23 |
| VGP for earthmoving equipment (excavator) | Periodic thorough inspection every 12 months | French ministerial order of 5 March 1993 (arrêté du 5 mars 1993), art. 2 |
| Maintenance logbook (lifting equipment) | Dated operations, nature, people involved | French ministerial order of 2 March 2004 (arrêté du 2 mars 2004) |
| Access to the network | Depends on the infrastructure manager: compliance of the works equipment, qualifications, site procedures | Ask the client |
To go further: VGP for road-rail equipment, CACES and driving authorisation, compliance documents. To track all these deadlines in one place: VGP tracking software, CMMS software and preventive maintenance plan.
Vocabulary
Road-rail vehicle or road-rail equipment: what’s the difference?
These terms describe the same family of equipment, seen from different angles:
- Road-rail equipment: a general term for any works machine able to move off-track and on-track (excavator, MEWP, dumper, specialised equipment).
- Road-rail vehicle: mostly used for a truck or road utility vehicle fitted for the track, for example a road-rail truck carrying a MEWP, a crane or a jetting unit.
- Road-rail equipment (plural): a company’s or a plant hire company’s fleet, with different models and configurations that must be tracked one by one.
A shunter, a wagon or a locomotive are not road-rail vehicles if they only run on rail: see the road-rail shunter guide. The definitions of each term are given in the road-rail equipment glossary.
Managing a fleet of road-rail vehicles
- Road-rail equipment hire: what to record from departure to return.
- Road-rail equipment hire checklist: order, delivery, return.
- Software for railway equipment: the useful information blocks.
- QR codes on road-rail equipment: what it brings and its risks.
- Machinery Regulation 2027: what changes for road-rail equipment.
Guides by machine type
- Road-rail excavator: configuration, load chart, CACES R.482 B3 and tracking.
- Road-rail MEWP: working at height, half-yearly VGP and mission preparation.
- Road-rail truck: road carrier, rail components and onboard equipment.
- Shunter: when it is road-rail, and when it is not.
Trackary manages road-rail equipment in the same tool as the rest of the fleet: it is both equipment fleet management software and CMMS software. To compare budgets, see the price of a CMMS.
Frequently asked questions
Sources and limits of this guide
- EPSF — Works trains and works equipment, version 7 ↗ Reference page giving access to the SNCF Réseau operating rule, which in particular describes works equipment and road-rail equipment within its own scope.
- SNCF Réseau — Checking the compliance of your works equipment ↗ Presentation of the compliance-checking service for works equipment, including road-rail equipment, and its role in the processes referred to by SNCF Réseau.
- This guide provides management guidance and is not a safety instruction, a risk analysis or a compliance opinion.
- The categories, parts and decisions expected vary depending on the machine, the infrastructure manager, the site, the contract and the employer’s procedures.