Individual Partners

International Union of combined Road-Rail transport companies (UIRR)

Description of entity:

the UIRR is an industry association representing the interests of combined transport (CT) in Europe. UIRR was founded in 1970 and has a link office in Brussels since 1988. It regroups 18 intermodal operators located in 14 countries and representing about 50% of the European CT market. Most of the member companies are private operators with a shareholding of railway undertakings and logistic and transport companies who want to shift their traffic to rail. 86% of their traffic is done using intermodal loading units (swap bodies/containers).

Special skills:

• UIRR directly represents transport users and acts as an advisor to the European Union and other supranational organisations.
• over the years, UIRR has regularly submitted major contributions to the EC transport policy in order to promote and defend the interests of CT as well as elaborated proposals for the transition into a truly liberalised rail freight market.
• UIRR coordinates several working groups to exchange knowledge and best practice between its members, in fields such as commercial and legal issues, operations and terminals, techniques and wagons, dangerous goods and security.
• UIRR has experience in promoting cooperation between operators and other actors in the transport chain and to push for European harmonization
• thorough knowledge with regard to advanced telecommunication and information management (see CESAR project below)