Operation of the rolling stock is associated with a number of risks. The consequences of failures are sometimes very serious - safety or the environment, sometimes only economic. A significant factor affecting the safe operation of railway vehicles is maintenance. The paper presents methods of risks assessment and possibilities of their reduction in design, operation and maintenance of railway vehicles. Special attention is given to the new "silent brakes" and safety related issues for freight wagons.

This paper is supported by: VEGA 1/0766/15 Research of noise emissions sources in the railway transport and methods of their effective reduction.