About

Who we are

Founded in 1950, the UIP – International Union of Wagon Keepers, with its seat in Brussels, is the umbrella association of national associations from fourteen European countries, thus representing more than 250 freight wagon keepers and ECMs with more than 255’000 freight wagons, performing 50 % of the rail freight tonne-Kilometres throughout Europe. The UIP represents the members’ concerns at international level. By means of research, lobbying and focused cooperation with all stakeholders and organisations interested in rail freight transportation, the UIP wants to secure on the long term the future of rail freight transport.

What we represent

As the voice for more than 255’000 rail freight wagons, we represent one of the most important resources for rail freight transportation in Europe. At UIP our priority is to support wagon keepers and those who have a role as Entities in Charge of Maintenance in achieving higher economic performance and adapting to modern logistics chain requirements.

In economic terms, UIP stands for:

a 12bn € private investment in existing rolling stock
a yearly 400 – 500mio € private investment in new rolling stock

Private keepers' wagon fleet 2024

Hover over each part of the pie for more details

Private keepers' wagon fleet in numbers

Type of wagon	2023	2024	2025
RID but not class-2	55.508	56.296	57.212
RID class 2	19.508	19.695	20.557
Non-RID	6.641	6.753	7.431
Total tank	81.657	82.744	85.200
Combined	45.830	47.896	49.685
Flat	26.211	27.425	27.639
Total intermodal	72.041	75.321	77.324
Open hopper	16.192	16.529	16.199
Covered hopper	11.264	12.839	15.910
Powder hopper	7.332	7.151	7.166
Total hopper	34.788	36.519	39.275
Covered	15.610	16.118	14.742
Open box	10.865	12.053	12.475
Total conventional	26.475	28.171	27.217
Car-Carrier	13.019	13.539	12.708
Coils	7.564	8.746	9.448
Others	3.309	3.318	4.077
Total special purpose	23.892	25.603	26.233

TOTAL WAGON FLEET	238.853	248.358	255.249

Our strategic objectives

Looking at improving the attractiveness and competitiveness of rail freight services in Europe, we aim to:

increase the awareness among policy and decision makers of the role of the wagon keepers in the railway system and in the logistics supply-chain
develope an economically sound long-term vision for investments in rail freight wagons
ensure fair market conditions between transport modes and fair intramodal competition (freight vs. passenger)
develop a common culture for efficient exchanges of information and relevant data among the actors in the railway system and the supply chain, including freight customers
promote regulatory stability and consistency at EU level to ensure wagon interoperability and safety while respecting the lifecycle of the assets (25-35 years)