diff --git a/include/podio/ROOTLegacyReader.h b/include/podio/ROOTLegacyReader.h
index 9383ca51b..9be8634b5 100644
--- a/include/podio/ROOTLegacyReader.h
+++ b/include/podio/ROOTLegacyReader.h
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ class ROOTLegacyReader {
 private:
   std::pair<TTree*, unsigned> getLocalTreeAndEntry(const std::string& treename);
 
-  void createCollectionBranches(const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfoT>& collInfo);
+  void createCollectionBranches(const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo>& collInfo);
 
   podio::GenericParameters readEventMetaData();
 
diff --git a/include/podio/ROOTWriter.h b/include/podio/ROOTWriter.h
index 5ee23835f..0df3e6d54 100644
--- a/include/podio/ROOTWriter.h
+++ b/include/podio/ROOTWriter.h
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ class ROOTWriter {
   struct CategoryInfo {
     TTree* tree{nullptr};                                     ///< The TTree to which this category is written
     std::vector<root_utils::CollectionBranches> branches{};   ///< The branches for this category
-    std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfoT> collInfo{}; ///< Collection info for this category
+    std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo> collInfo{}; ///< Collection info for this category
     podio::CollectionIDTable idTable{};                       ///< The collection id table for this category
     std::vector<std::string> collsToWrite{};                  ///< The collections to write for this category
 
diff --git a/include/podio/utilities/RootHelpers.h b/include/podio/utilities/RootHelpers.h
index 360ef6674..7516b4df1 100644
--- a/include/podio/utilities/RootHelpers.h
+++ b/include/podio/utilities/RootHelpers.h
@@ -18,7 +18,15 @@ namespace root_utils {
   // A collection of additional information that describes the collection: the
   // collectionID, the collection (data) type, whether it is a subset
   // collection, and its schema version
+  struct CollectionWriteInfo {
+    uint32_t collectionID{static_cast<uint32_t>(-1)};
+    std::string dataType{};
+    bool isSubset{false};
+    unsigned int schemaVersion{0};
+  };
+  // The format used until version 1.2
   using CollectionWriteInfoT = std::tuple<uint32_t, std::string, bool, unsigned int>;
+
   // for backwards compatibility
   using CollectionInfoWithoutSchemaT = std::tuple<int, std::string, bool>;
 
diff --git a/src/ROOTLegacyReader.cc b/src/ROOTLegacyReader.cc
index 87f7a4e1b..d67c509fe 100644
--- a/src/ROOTLegacyReader.cc
+++ b/src/ROOTLegacyReader.cc
@@ -150,7 +150,12 @@ void ROOTLegacyReader::openFiles(const std::vector<std::string>& filenames) {
       collInfoBranch->SetAddress(&collectionInfo);
       collInfoBranch->GetEntry(0);
     }
-    createCollectionBranches(*collectionInfo);
+    std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo> collInfo;
+    collInfo.reserve(collectionInfo->size());
+    for (auto& [id, typeName, isSubsetColl, schemaVersion] : *collectionInfo) {
+      collInfo.emplace_back(id, std::move(typeName), isSubsetColl, schemaVersion);
+    }
+    createCollectionBranches(collInfo);
     delete collectionInfo;
   } else {
     std::cout << "PODIO: Reconstructing CollectionTypeInfo branch from other sources in file: \'"
@@ -168,7 +173,7 @@ unsigned ROOTLegacyReader::getEntries(const std::string& name) const {
   return m_chain->GetEntries();
 }
 
-void ROOTLegacyReader::createCollectionBranches(const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfoT>& collInfo) {
+void ROOTLegacyReader::createCollectionBranches(const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo>& collInfo) {
   size_t collectionIndex{0};
 
   for (const auto& [collID, collType, isSubsetColl, collSchemaVersion] : collInfo) {
diff --git a/src/ROOTReader.cc b/src/ROOTReader.cc
index 7b0373ba4..9f4080988 100644
--- a/src/ROOTReader.cc
+++ b/src/ROOTReader.cc
@@ -19,11 +19,11 @@ namespace podio {
 
 std::tuple<std::vector<root_utils::CollectionBranches>, std::vector<std::pair<std::string, detail::CollectionInfo>>>
 createCollectionBranches(TChain* chain, const podio::CollectionIDTable& idTable,
-                         const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfoT>& collInfo);
+                         const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo>& collInfo);
 
 std::tuple<std::vector<root_utils::CollectionBranches>, std::vector<std::pair<std::string, detail::CollectionInfo>>>
 createCollectionBranchesIndexBased(TChain* chain, const podio::CollectionIDTable& idTable,
-                                   const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfoT>& collInfo);
+                                   const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo>& collInfo);
 
 template <typename T>
 void ROOTReader::readParams(ROOTReader::CategoryInfo& catInfo, podio::GenericParameters& params, bool reloadBranches,
@@ -169,20 +169,33 @@ void ROOTReader::initCategory(CategoryInfo& catInfo, const std::string& category
 
   auto* collInfoBranch = root_utils::getBranch(m_metaChain.get(), root_utils::collInfoName(category));
 
-  auto collInfo = new std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfoT>();
-  if (m_fileVersion < podio::version::Version{0, 16, 4}) {
-    auto oldCollInfo = new std::vector<root_utils::CollectionInfoWithoutSchemaT>();
-    collInfoBranch->SetAddress(&oldCollInfo);
-    collInfoBranch->GetEntry(0);
-    collInfo->reserve(oldCollInfo->size());
-    for (auto&& [collID, collType, isSubsetColl] : *oldCollInfo) {
-      // Manually set the schema version to 1
-      collInfo->emplace_back(collID, std::move(collType), isSubsetColl, 1u);
-    }
-    delete oldCollInfo;
-  } else {
+  auto collInfo = new std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo>();
+
+  if (m_fileVersion >= podio::version::Version{1, 1, 0}) {
     collInfoBranch->SetAddress(&collInfo);
     collInfoBranch->GetEntry(0);
+  } else {
+    auto collInfoOld = new std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfoT>();
+    if (m_fileVersion < podio::version::Version{0, 16, 4}) {
+      auto collInfoReallyOld = new std::vector<root_utils::CollectionInfoWithoutSchemaT>();
+      collInfoBranch->SetAddress(&collInfoReallyOld);
+      collInfoBranch->GetEntry(0);
+      collInfoOld->reserve(collInfoReallyOld->size());
+      for (auto& [collID, collType, isSubsetColl] : *collInfoReallyOld) {
+        // Manually set the schema version to 1
+        collInfo->emplace_back(collID, std::move(collType), isSubsetColl, 1u);
+      }
+      delete collInfoReallyOld;
+    } else {
+      collInfoBranch->SetAddress(&collInfoOld);
+      collInfoBranch->GetEntry(0);
+    }
+    // "Convert" to new style
+    collInfo->reserve(collInfoOld->size());
+    for (auto& [id, typeName, isSubsetColl, schemaVersion] : *collInfoOld) {
+      collInfo->emplace_back(id, std::move(typeName), isSubsetColl, schemaVersion);
+    }
+    delete collInfoOld;
   }
 
   // For backwards compatibility make it possible to read the index based files
@@ -309,7 +322,7 @@ std::vector<std::string_view> ROOTReader::getAvailableCategories() const {
 
 std::tuple<std::vector<root_utils::CollectionBranches>, std::vector<std::pair<std::string, detail::CollectionInfo>>>
 createCollectionBranchesIndexBased(TChain* chain, const podio::CollectionIDTable& idTable,
-                                   const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfoT>& collInfo) {
+                                   const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo>& collInfo) {
 
   size_t collectionIndex{0};
   std::vector<root_utils::CollectionBranches> collBranches;
@@ -361,7 +374,7 @@ createCollectionBranchesIndexBased(TChain* chain, const podio::CollectionIDTable
 
 std::tuple<std::vector<root_utils::CollectionBranches>, std::vector<std::pair<std::string, detail::CollectionInfo>>>
 createCollectionBranches(TChain* chain, const podio::CollectionIDTable& idTable,
-                         const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfoT>& collInfo) {
+                         const std::vector<root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo>& collInfo) {
 
   size_t collectionIndex{0};
   std::vector<root_utils::CollectionBranches> collBranches;
diff --git a/src/rootUtils.h b/src/rootUtils.h
index 007e4e202..004abce3c 100644
--- a/src/rootUtils.h
+++ b/src/rootUtils.h
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ inline void readBranchesData(const CollectionBranches& branches, Long64_t entry)
  * collections
  */
 inline auto reconstructCollectionInfo(TTree* eventTree, podio::CollectionIDTable const& idTable) {
-  std::vector<CollectionWriteInfoT> collInfo;
+  std::vector<CollectionWriteInfo> collInfo;
 
   for (size_t iColl = 0; iColl < idTable.names().size(); ++iColl) {
     const auto collID = idTable.ids()[iColl];
diff --git a/src/root_selection.xml b/src/root_selection.xml
index 38db949c0..dc4dbb9db 100644
--- a/src/root_selection.xml
+++ b/src/root_selection.xml
@@ -5,5 +5,8 @@
     <class name="podio::ROOTWriter"/>
     <class name="podio::RNTupleReader"/>
     <class name="podio::RNTupleWriter"/>
+
+    <class name="podio::root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo"/>
+    <class name="std::vector<podio::root_utils::CollectionWriteInfo>"/>
   </selection>
 </lcgdict>