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35th Meeting of the CUI Committee on 29th April 2025
35th meeting of the CUI Committee on 29 April 2025
The CUI Committee took place on 29 April 2025 at CIT headquarters in Bern and online.
The meeting was chaired by Alberto Gallo (Trenitalia) and well attended by diverse Railway Undertakings (DB, SNCF and SNCF Voyageurs, Trenitalia, NS, SNCB, CD Cargo, PKP and PKP Cargo, SJ, Renfe, CP-Comboios de Portugal, Hellenic Train) and one representative from the Legal Department of the OTIF as an observer.
Discussions focused mainly on two issues in the current context of infrastructure-related topics.
First, CIT detailed recent developments in EU legislation with the draft Regulation on the use of railway infrastructure capacity, giving an overview of the draft proposal with explanations on the role of the European Framework for Capacity Management. Some details of the governance structure were also clarified. The discussions outlined important elements of recurrent problems and risks were outlined. The meeting discussed specific questions on the Draft Capacity Regulation, regarding Article 40 for example, which stipulates rules in the event that an infrastructure manager or applicant does not fulfil their commitments with respect to an allocated capacity right and where this results in (major) changes. This is a key topic for Railway Undertakings, and the CIT GS will continue to monitor and analyse it in the coming months depending on the evolution of discussions of the text.
In the second part of the meeting, the possible revision of the COTIF/CUI Uniform Rules emerged as a major topic after the OTIF Consultation and the ad hoc Committee meeting on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation in April 2025. The CUI Committee submitted its view on a possible revision of the CUI Uniform Rules, considering the CUI Revision in 2018. Some key elements were forwarded to OTIF such as the scope of application and the necessary adjustments to liability between the infrastructure manager and the carrier (Article 8 CUI), in particular the right of recourse of railway undertakings vis-à-vis Infrastructure Managers. During this meeting, CIT reported on the discussions that took place at OTIF level on a possible revision of the CUI and which additional points were submitted by other respondents. OTIF will discuss some key points under its work programme until 2027.
The meeting in Bern was also an opportunity to thank Adriaan Hagdorn (NS), former Chairman of the CUI Committee, for his commitment to the work of the CIT, and to wish him a happy retirement.
The next CUI Committee will be held online in December 2025, and will be an opportunity to address in detail the 2026 work programme, specifically the important issues of the potential revision of COTIF / CUI Uniform Rules, as well as the legal follow-up by CIT to the draft capacity regulation and potential adaptations of CIT products dedicated to the use of infrastructure.
nina.scherf@cit-rail.org / guillaume.murawa@cit-rail.org
