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ALL TANKED OUT
APPROVAL AND VERIFICATION The meeting began with what seemed a fairly straightforward issue raised in a paper from the International Union of Wagon
inspection certificates are often available only weeks after a tank wagon has been inspected, which can lead to costly delays in releasing new tank wagons for operation. While some states supported UIP’s position, saying it reflects current practice, the European Commission pointed out that ERA is responsible for wagon approval, which can only be granted once all the necessary official documents are available. If this were to be relaxed in the case of tank wagons, it would also have to be allowed for other wagons and components. The chair felt that the inspection bodies should be engaged in a dialogue and urged to improve their performance. Discussion then turned to the ongoing deliberations of the RID/ADR/ADN Joint Meeting’s informal working group on the inspection and certification of tanks in respect of entry into service verification (EISV) of tank wagons. This had delivered a proposed text for
Keepers (UIP), seeking the SWG’s opinion as to whether a tank wagon’s initial inspection certificate must be available for the tank wagon to receive approval, or whether the information on the tank plate and an appropriate photographic likeness are sufficient. UIP said it has found that initial
6.8.1.5.5 in RID, which SWG felt was adequate to allay its concerns. The underlying problem is that the provision was developed in response to issues experienced with road tankers entering service but has been expanded into a multimodal provision that does not sit comfortably with rail tank wagons
RAIL • THE RID STANDING WORKING GROUP’S LATEST SESSION WAS DOMINATED BY TANK WAGON AND TANK CONTAINER ISSUES, ESPECIALLY RELATING TO EXTRA-LARGE TANKS THE RID COMMITTEE of Experts’ Standing Working Group (SWG) held its 12th session by video conference this past 24 to 26 November. As is usual, it was chaired by Caroline Bailleux (Belgium) with Othmar Krammer as deputy chairman. The online session was attended by representatives of 20 contracting states, together with Russia (which does not apply RID), the European Commission, the EU Agency for Railways (ERA) and five non-governmental organisations.
DEVELOPMENT OF EXTRA-LARGE TANK CONTAINERS HAS GIVEN THE RAIL EXPERTS SOMETHING OF A HEADACHE, TRYING TO FIT THEM INTO THE EXISTING REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
HCB MONTHLY | MARCH 2021
With the 2021 text of RID, the regulations that govern the transport of dangerous goods by rail in most of Europe, having been finalised earlier, the Standing Working Group began the task of developing and agreeing the amendments that will appear in the 2023 edition.
