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News in Wagon Law

CIT is involved in the work of the UIC "Wagon Users" Study Group and takes part in its meetings to keep track of developments in wagon law.

As a reminder, in 2022 CIT wrote an article analysing keeper liability with the obligation of the ECM and the role of the ECM in the context of the obligations arising from the GCU.

The last meeting of the UIC Wagon Users Study Group took place in Paris on 26 September 2023. The CIT GS gave a presentation on the functioning of OTIF, the COTIF Convention and the CUV Uniform Rules, raising the possibility of revising them to meet the needs of the sector. After reviewing the history of the development of the law on the use of wagons, from the first railway conventions to the application of the GCU, CIT recalled the regulatory position and legal scope of each of the texts and provided an analysis of the importance of greater consistency.

CIT thus proposed that a dedicated workshop on this topic be held at CIT Headquarters in Bern in autumn 2024, in collaboration with UIC. The main topics of the workshop could be: future reflections and developments relating to the CUV Uniform Rules and the GCU, as applied by the Railway Undertakings in the context of the use of wagons for the transport of goods. 

Further developments are expected in 2024 on the CIT side in order to support its members on these important issues and on changes to the ECM's status and position in its interaction with keepers and railway undertakings.

guillaume.murawa(at)cit-rail.org