DGSA RID Rail cheat sheet

RID is Appendix C to COTIF (Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail, 1980), administered by OTIF and revised every two years in odd-numbered years; RID 2025 applies from 1 January 2025.

RID 1.1.1 covers international rail carriage of dangerous goods and the ancillary operations of packing, filling, loading, unloading and transfer to or from other modes.

EU Directive 2008/68/EC Annex II reproduces RID and binds rail carriage of dangerous goods within and between Member States, including purely national carriage.

National implementing law (e.g. GGVE in Germany, the CDG Regulations in Great Britain, the French arrêté TMD) transposes the Directive and adds national derogations, route rules and competent-authority fees.

RID 1.8.3.1 requires every undertaking whose activities include carriage of dangerous goods, or the related packing, filling, loading or unloading, to appoint at least one dangerous goods safety adviser.

DGSA duties (RID 1.8.3.3): monitoring compliance, advising on compliance, preparing the annual report, investigating accidents, monitoring staff training and checking equipment and documentation.

DGSA certification is by written examination set by the competent authority; the certificate is valid five years, and EU Member States recognise certificates issued by other Member States.

The DGSA annual report describes the undertaking's dangerous goods activities and compliance, is kept five years and is produced to inspectors on request.

Multilateral agreements under RID 1.1.3.1 permit carriage outside RID between states party to them; the agreement reference must be entered in the transport document.

Nine classes: 1 explosives, 2 gases, 3 flammable liquids, 4.1 flammable solids, 4.2 spontaneously combustible, 4.3 water-reactive, 5.1 oxidising, 5.2 organic peroxides, 6.1 toxic, 6.2 infectious, 7 radioactive, 8 corrosive, 9 miscellaneous.

Packing groups I (great danger), II (medium) and III (minor) exist only where the class provisions assign them - classes 3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 6.1, 8 and parts of 9; never for classes 1, 2, 5.2, 6.2 and 7.

Class 3 threshold is a flash point not exceeding 60 °C; PG I if initial boiling point is 35 °C or less, PG II if flash point is below 23 °C with initial boiling point above 35 °C, PG III for flash point 23–60 °C.

Class 1 is divided into divisions 1.1–1.6 and compatibility groups A–L and N, which describe the type of explosive and control mixed loading in the same wagon or container.

Class 2 distinguishes compressed, liquefied, refrigerated liquefied and dissolved gases, with divisions 2.1 flammable, 2.2 non-flammable non-toxic and 2.3 toxic.

Class 7 is categorised I-WHITE, II-YELLOW (transport index above 0 up to 1) and III-YELLOW (transport index above 1 up to 10); transport index = highest dose rate at 1 m in mSv/h multiplied by 100.

Class 8 criterion: causes full-thickness destruction of skin, or corrodes steel or aluminium at more than 6.25 mm per year at 55 °C.

Precedence of hazard (RID 2.0.3): the precedence table and specific class rules fix the primary class; subsidiary risks are shown by additional labels.

Self-reactive substances (4.1) and organic peroxides (5.2) are defined by their self-accelerating decomposition temperature; some entries require control and emergency temperatures during carriage.

Chapter 3.2 Table A lists entries by UN number with name, class and classification code, packing group, labels, special provisions, limited and excepted quantities, packing, IBC and tank instructions, and carriage provisions.

Column 6 refers to the special provisions in Chapter 3.3 (e.g. 274, 316, 363, 376, 390, 636), which add to or replace the general requirements for that entry.

Special provision 274: for generic not-otherwise-specified entries the proper shipping name must be supplemented by the technical name of the substance in brackets.

Chapter 3.4 limited quantities: column 7a gives the maximum inner packaging quantity, the completed package may not exceed 30 kg gross, and the package bears the limited quantity mark.

Chapter 3.5 excepted quantities: codes E0–E5 in column 7b; E0 means not permitted; maximum inner quantity is 0.3 to 1 kg or L and 30 kg gross per package; the package bears the excepted quantity mark.

Column 8 refers to packing instructions in Chapter 4.1 (P for packagings, IBC for IBCs, LP for large packagings); column 9b gives mixed packing provisions MP1–MP24.

Column 15 transport category (0 to 4) supplies the multiplier used for the small-quantity exemption of RID 1.1.3.6; category 0 goods never benefit from it.

A substance not listed by name is carried under a generic N.O.S. entry selected by class and hazard, with the technical name added to the proper shipping name.

Columns 12 and 13 give the tank code and special tank provisions that the tank wagon, tank-container or portable tank used must satisfy.

UN packaging codes: 1 drum, 3 jerrican, 4 box, 5 bag, 6 composite; material letters include A steel, B aluminium, D plywood, F reconstituted wood, G fibreboard, H plastic, L textile, M paper, N other metal, P glass.

In the packaging mark, X certifies packing groups I, II and III, Y certifies II and III, and Z certifies III only.

Packing instruction numbers in column 8 point to Chapter 4.1; PP special packing provisions appear in column 9a, IBC instructions and B/BK bulk provisions in Chapter 4.1 and 6.11.

Tank code structure (e.g. L4BH): L = tank for liquids (S solids, G gases); digit = minimum calculation pressure in bar; letter = arrangement of filling and discharge openings; H = hermetically closed, V = with breather device.

Maximum degree of filling for a liquid = 98 / (1 + α (50 − tf)) %, where α is the coefficient of cubic expansion and tf the mean filling temperature; tanks must never be overfilled.

Tank wagons: intermediate inspection at least every three years and periodic inspection with hydraulic test at least every six years; portable tanks and tank-containers follow 2.5-year and 5-year intervals.

Tanks are approved by the competent authority and marked with tank code, test pressure, capacity, tare mass and the dates of inspections; the shell and fittings must be free of defects.

Bulk solids in containers use BK1, BK2 or BK3 bulk containers (Chapter 6.11); the permitted bulk provision is given in the carriage columns of Table A.

Salvage packagings and salvage pressure receptacles (RID 1.2.1) contain damaged, defective or leaking packages and are marked with the word SALVAGE.

The consignment note states, for each dangerous good: UN number preceded by UN, proper shipping name, class and classification code, packing group, number and kind of packages, and total quantity.

Additional entries include consignor and consignee, tank wagon or container number for tank carriage, tunnel restriction code where applicable, and the statement 'empty, uncleaned' or the last goods carried for residues.

The particulars are worded in an official language of the country of dispatch; if that language is not German, English or French, one of those languages must also be used.

Written emergency response information must accompany the consignment and be immediately available to the train crew in a language they understand.

Labels on packages are 100 × 100 mm; placards on wagons and containers are enlarged labels of 250 × 250 mm fixed on both long sides.

Orange plates are 400 × 300 mm with a 15 mm black border and 100 mm digits: hazard identification number above, UN number below; fitted on both sides of the wagon and on both sides of tank wagons.

Placards must correspond to the labels required in column 5 of Table A; a wagon with missing, wrong or illegible placards must not run.

Empty uncleaned tank wagons and containers keep their orange plates and are documented as empty, uncleaned; placards are removed only after cleaning and degassing.

The consignor is responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the document; loader and operator must verify that documentation, marking and load agree before departure.

The wagon or container must be suitable and authorised for the goods carried; the tank code of a tank wagon must match column 12 of Table A.

Checks before loading: wagon authorised for the goods, clean, dry and free of residue, doors, floors, linings and tank shell undamaged, closures working, old placards removed.

Loading rules: stay within axle-load and metre-load limits, distribute the load, secure packages against movement, close and lock doors and hatches; the loader is responsible for these points.

Checks before departure: closures tight and sealed, no product left on the tank top, load secured, placards and orange plates correct, documents complete.

RID 7.5.2 mixed loading: Class 1 goods of different compatibility groups may share a wagon or container only where the compatibility-group table permits; other combinations are prohibited.

Goods that react dangerously with one another (e.g. 4.3 water-reactive goods with water or 5.1 oxidisers with 4.2 goods) must not be loaded in the same wagon or container.

Tunnel restrictions follow the tunnel restriction code in Table A together with the network rules issued by the infrastructure manager for the route used.

Empty uncleaned wagons remain subject to the placarding, documentation and loading restrictions of the goods last carried until they are cleaned.

Marshalling of wagons carrying Class 1 or shock-sensitive goods is subject to restrictions on hump and fly shunting and to positioning rules in RID 7.5.2 and national network instructions.

RID 1.4.2 allocates duties: the consignor classifies and documents, the packer packs, the filler fills tanks, the loader loads and marks, the unloader unloads and cleans, the operator provides compliant wagons and crew.

Mixed loading and segregation: Class 1 compatibility groups are governed by the table in RID 7.5.2; toxic and infectious goods of classes 6.1 and 6.2 must be kept away from foodstuffs and feeding stuffs.

Wagons left unattended must be secured against unintended movement (brakes, chocks, derailers where required) and inspected at intervals defined by the operator.

RID Chapter 1.10 applies to high consequence dangerous goods listed with threshold quantities in Table 1.10.3.2; carriage above the threshold requires a security plan and enhanced measures.

A security plan sets out allocation of security responsibilities, records of goods carried, training, access control, secure stabling and reporting of suspicious events or theft.

All staff involved in carriage of high consequence dangerous goods receive security awareness training, which is documented and kept available.

No smoking, open flame or unauthorised access is allowed during loading and unloading of flammable goods; loading areas are kept clear and lighting is controlled.

Information flow: consignor to operator to train crew; the crew must know the goods carried, their hazards and where the emergency information and transport document are kept.

Supervision by the operator includes checking that only trained and instructed staff load, unload or marshal wagons containing dangerous goods.

RID 5.4.3 requires written emergency response information for the goods carried, understandable to the crew and immediately accessible during the journey.

Content of the emergency information: nature of the hazard, personal protection, immediate actions for fire, spillage, leakage and first aid, and information for medical staff.

First actions at an incident: stop in a safe place, protect and warn the line, keep people away, remove ignition sources, notify the dispatcher and the emergency services.

Hand to the emergency services the transport document, the orange-plate numbers and the emergency information card; do not move damaged packages or leaking tank wagons.

Spillage: prevent entry into drains, culverts and watercourses, contain with inert absorbent, avoid contact and, for flammable liquids, eliminate all ignition sources.

Reporting chain: the undertaking reports accidents and incidents to the national competent authority; the authority compiles the data and reports to OTIF under RID 1.8.5.

Report contents: date and place, goods and quantities involved, injuries, damage to property and environment, apparent cause, measures taken and immediate consequences.

A wagon involved in an incident is not returned to service until inspected; tanks are checked for deformation and leakage and contaminated packagings are not reused.