Technical Interoperability
Appendix F to COTIF establishes the Uniform Rules concerning the Validation of Technical Standards and the Adoption of Uniform Technical Prescriptions (UTP) applicable to Railway Material intended to be used in International Traffic (APTU UR).
The Uniform Technical Prescriptions (UTP) serve as a basis for the admission of railway vehicles to international traffic. The UTPs are compatible with the Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI) of the European Union.
The process for the adoption and modification of UTPs by the Committee of Technical Experts is explained in the explanatory document concerning Articles 6, 8 and 8a of the APTU UR.
Appendix G to COTIF establishes the Uniform Rules concerning the Technical Admission of Railway Material used in International Traffic (ATMF RU).
Explanatory Document ATMF 2015
The UTPs and related guides and other explanatory documents are also available here.
The European Union acceded to COTIF in 2011. On 24 October 2013, OTIF, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Transport and Mobility (DG MOVE) and the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) signed Administrative Arrangements with a view to establishing and maintaining equivalence between their regulations. The aim of these arrangements is to organise communications and working relations.
The Secretariat of OTIF and the European Union Agency for Railways jointly keep up to date the Vehicle Keeper Marking (VKM) register, the register for the certification of entities in charge of maintenance (ECM) and the register of Common Safety Method (CSM) assessment bodies.
For the table of equivalence between the EU and OTIF regulations, see the latest WG TECH working documents (English only).
