Following the Fit for Freight Spring Days held at the end of May and in June 2023, two webinars dedicated to wagon utilisation and its related data exchange took place on 27 and 29 November to explain how UIC’s work contributes to benefitting the rail sector. More than 100 participants attended the two webinars, with a majority representing railway undertakings.
The first webinar dealt with wagon use and the General Contract for Use of wagons – GCU. Sector experts, Andrea Zeiner from Rail Cargo Group and Christoph Gabrisch from UIC, explored the vital role of the GCU in daily rail freight runs and spoke about its practical implementation, legal framework, and UIC’s pivotal role in its improvement for a better future for rail freight in Europe and beyond.
The discussion covered various aspects of freight logistics, from practical approaches and managing damage on freight wagons to the GCU’s crucial role in ensuring legal interoperability in European freight transport. Additionally, insights were shared on the ongoing process of updating the GCU, including collaborative efforts within UIC wagon working groups to establish rules for optimised wagon use and ensure its adaptability to changing logistics environments.
The second webinar on data exchange related to wagon use was presented by Jürgen Hiller and Christian Kühnast from DB Cargo, Petr Červinka from ČD Cargo and Parinaz Bazeghi from UIC, who shed light on data exchanges for wagons to speed up train handovers, facilitate multilateral contracts, and improve information on the commercial importance of wagons in day-to-day rail freight operations.
The speakers delved into data messages, and the workflows of applications which facilitate information sharing in the rail freight sector. Efficient and interoperable data exchange will enhance service quality for customers and contribute to creating a better future in Europe and beyond. Participants learnt about the GCU Broker, the unique GCU IT interface, and the RailData services – CoReDa (Commercial Responsability Database) and ISR (International Service Reliability).
The videos and presentations from the events are available here: https://uic.org/events/fit-for-freight-autumn-days
The UIC team responsible for the Fit for Freight webinars are Florence Albert, Philip Van den bosch and Martin Polák.
