05 November 2021

CACTUS FINAL REPORT: BOOSTING COMBINED TRANSPORT

On 19 October, the International Union of Railways (UIC) and the International Union for road-rail combined transport (UIRR) presented the results of the Comparative Analysis of the Combined Transport Usages and Standards (CACTUS), a work commissioned by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) to facilitate Combined Transport activities and to boost its integration with other modes of transport.

Currently, Combined Transport operations are organised through different and not always aligned regulations and standards (TSIs, EN, IRS, ISO, etc.). They define the design/testing requirements for Intermodal Loading Units (ILUs) and set out the conditions for the compatibility of ILUs with the different transport modes and for their transhipment in terminals. As a comparative analysis, the CACTUS project aimed at developing recommendations to eliminate gaps, overlaps and contradictions.

As key recommendations, the study calls for the creation of a specific TSI on combined transport covering infrastructure, operation, traffic management and rolling stock subsystem aspects relevant for the interoperability of ILUs loaded on suitable wagons. Furthermore, the study proposes to include relevant combined transport operating methods as described in UICs IRSs, in the existing TSI on wagons (WAG TSI).

Moreover, the study proposes to revise the Directive 96/53/EC on weights and dimensions, as amended by Directive 2015/719, to define semi-trailers suitable for transport by rail as intermodal loading units. Moreover, it refers to the revision of a number of ILU-related EN standards and the introduction of the new updated requirements of cross-referencing between standards, which should allow to eliminate overlaps, contradictions and deficiencies.

Source: UIRR