On 2 February 2026, the International Union of Wagon Keepers (UIP), the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA), and UIC jointly hosted an unprecedented webinar at the UIC Headquarters dedicated to the 2026 revision of the General Contract for the Use of Wagons (GCU). This revision focused on improving alignment with the Entity in Charge of Maintenance (ECM) Regulation. The event brought together more than 680 online participants from across the European rail freight sector.
Coordinated by Fabian Figueroa and Nathalie Libardi from UIC, the webinar was opened by Bertrand Minary, UIC Freight Director, who underlined UIC’s long-standing role as a key platform for cooperation among railways.
Speakers included: Gilles Peterhans (UIP), Nicolas Czernecki (UIC-RLE-Hexafret), Leonardo Fogu (ERFA-Hupac), Karl-Heinz Fehr (UIP-VPI), Bettina Wotzlaw (ERFA-Captrain), Christian Kuhnast (UIC-DB Cargo), Enrico Paoletti (UIC-Mercitalia Rail), Valérie Nicaise (UIP-Ermewa), and Floris Foqué (GCU Bureau).
The webinar was structured around three key blocks.
Block 1: Context & communication
Speakers started by presenting what the issue had been, clarifying what the GCU covers and what it does not, and underlining that the GCU needed to be amended to ensure harmonised application and legal certainty. The 2026 version of the GCU ensures that the existing processes remain valid, but are better coordinated, and that they better describe and follow the “en route repair” for both railway undertakings (RUs) and keepers. The new version strengthens and clarifies the duties and tasks of all of the parties involved and creates a continuous chain of responsibility. The amendments to Articles 7, 12, 15, and 19, as well as to Appendix 2 are intended to increase legal certainty.
They also presented how the special ERFA, UIC, and UIP working group of experts came to be, with the purpose of finding a joint solution. In the end, more than 50 experts from more than 10 companies helped in developing the solution, which was unanimously approved by the members of ERFA, UIC, and UIP and approved by the majority of the GCU signatories.
Block 2: Obligations & processes
In this part of the session, the speakers outlined the rights and obligations of the RUs and the wagon keepers. They explained how the Release to Service (RTS) and Return to Operation (RTO) has been included in the contract and also how the GCU Broker Platform will incorporate the contact information of those responsible for RTO/RTS.
The GCU Broker Platform is an online collaboration tool that allows GCU signatories to manage contact details, register wagon fleets, and securely exchange standardised data, with each signatory responsible for keeping their information accurate and up to date. It therefore supports sector-wide digitalisation, improves operational performance, and offers low-threshold access for both large and small companies.
Block 3: Legal & risk assessment
The legal and risk assessments conducted were shared, confirming that the GCU 2026 amendments are fully in line with EU legislation. The revised GCU clearly meets the legal requirements applicable to railway undertakings, wagon keepers, and ECMs, providing a significantly more robust and transparent framework than the previous version.
The event concluded with a one-hour question-and-answer session between the audience and speakers.
To close the webinar, the speakers outlined the next phases of work, which will focus on ensuring the new process is applied consistently and correctly across RU systems (Safety Management System and ECM) and within the GCU (RTO and RTS). This will be supported by a data sharing and improved information transmission (link to GCU Broker). In parallel, feedback and operational experience will be collected from the signatories and National Safety Authorities (NSAs), via the trustee or relevant associations, and systematically assessed to inform future improvements.
