UIC co-organised this conference together with AFWP (Association Française des détenteurs de wagons) , UTP (Union des Transports publics et ferroviaires) and the European DAC Delivery Programme (supported by Europe’s Rail).

It is in UIC’s DNA to develop harmonised operational rules.

These accelerate the adoption of technological innovations by rail operators: Railway Undertakings (RU), Infrastructure Managers (IM), Entities in Charge of Maintenance (ECM), wagon keepers, etc., with the aim of improving system performance.

For the Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC), UIC has already begun this harmonisation work at European level, in particular for all the existing texts and tools that will be affected by its integration. The GCU (General Contract of Use for Wagons) is an initial example.

In addition, since the ERA-UIC Coordination Framework was signed on 29 November 2021, these harmonised operational rules can become Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMoCs) recognised by the European Railways Agency (ERA). It is to this end that UIC will work for the DAC, in the coming months and years with railway operators and ERA.