The Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) has published a new edition of the regulation concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by rail (RID) which will enter into force on 1 January 2021 and will replace the 2019 edition. Based on a general transitional measure, the provisions of the 2019 edition may still be applied until 30 June 2021.
The RID 2021 includes several new features that take account of technical and scientific progress and which contribute to the further improvement of safe carriage by rail, a clean and energy-efficient mode of transport. The new edition introduces a new UN number (UN 3549) for solid waste generated from the medical treatment of humans or the veterinary treatment of animals infected by infectious substances of Category A and new packaging instructions are available for the carriage of this type of waste. The UN No. 3549 entry shall not be used for waste from bio-research or liquid waste.
The edition also contains references to new checklists for the filling and emptying of tank-wagons for liquids and gases in order to improve safety during transport. The guidelines in the form of checklists for tank-wagons for liquids and gases are available on the OTIF website to help the filler of tank-wagons for liquids and gases fulfil the safety obligations, particularly with respect to the leak tightness of tank-wagons.
The RID applies to the international carriage of dangerous goods by rail between its 45 states parties in Europe, Asia and North Africa and in the Member States of the European Union, it also applies to national traffic.
The regulation is closely coordinated with the provisions on the carriage of dangerous goods by rail (ADR) and by inland waterways (ADN), to facilitate the multimodal transport.
The new regulation is published in three working languages (French, German, English), and the Russian version will be available next year.
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