Amendments to COTIF – adopted, but will they soon come into force?

02-10-2026

The amendments to COTIF adopted by the OTIF General Assembly at its 12^th and 13^th sessions in 2015 and 2018 have not yet come into force, as the required number of approvals by Member States has not yet been reached.

These amendments apply to international rail traffic and concern, in particular, contracts of use of vehicles, contracts of use of infrastructure, the approval of technical standards and the adoption of uniform technical prescriptions applicable to railway rolling stock, the technical approval of railway rolling stock and the safe operation of trains.

The OTIF Secretariat is calling for the accelerated approval of the amendments to COTIF and to this end, is publishing an information document for the Member States, accompanied by a practical guide offering tools to support the approval procedures.

It is in the common interest of OTIF, its Member States and the railway sector that the amendments adopted at the 12^th and 13^th sessions of the General Assembly enter into force as soon as possible.

The information document is available here:

French