A core element of the wagon keepers’ business is their contractual relation with the Railway Undertakings. This agreement is called the GCU.
The GCU as a cornerstone in rail freight transportation was developed by UIC, UIP and ERFA and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016:
- a multilateral contract based on the international convention COTIF 1999 and its appendix CUV
- specifies the mutual rights and obligations of wagon keepers (K) and Railway Undertakings (RU) regarding the use of rail freight wagons as a means of transport throughout Europe and beyond
- single contract instead of ten thousand of different contracts. Pan European contract – ease cross-border operations
- 600 signatories across 28 countries, with around 570,000 wagons currently declared in the GCU wagon database
- makes European Railways safe, more efficient and more competitive
In 2016, UIP focused its activities on several policies and actions linked to political and technical objectives set by our statutory bodies. The topics followed the strategic and business developments of our members, and more directly of the wagon keepers and the Entities in Charge of Maintenance.
More details on its website: gcubureau.org