UIC encourages procurement specialists in railway companies and across the rail supply chain to use IRS 30345 as a primary reference for environmental performance in tender documents.
The standard covers energy and greenhouse gas emissions, noise and vibration, air quality, and material use and circularity, and brings in considerations from the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
- UIC has published IRS 30345, replacing UIC Leaflet 345, to harmonise environmental specifications for the procurement of new rolling stock.
- The standard takes a functional, performance-based approach rather than prescribing technical solutions.
- It sets a goal of raising component recyclability rates from 85% to 95%.
- Its specifications cover energy and greenhouse gas emissions, noise and vibration, air quality, and material use and circularity.
- It incorporates considerations from the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, including ESRS E1 to E5.
- UIC said the document is not legally binding and serves as a reference framework for procurement.
The International Union of Railways (UIC) has published IRS 30345, an International Railway Solution (IRS) that harmonises environmental specifications for the procurement of new rolling stock and replaces UIC Leaflet 345, UIC said on 3 November 2026.
UIC said the standard takes a functional approach, prioritising performance-based specifications over specific technical solutions. It is intended to support energy-efficient, low-emission and circular rolling stock while minimising noise and vibration impacts, in line with international regulatory frameworks.
The specifications cover four areas: energy and greenhouse gas emissions across production, end-of-life and operational phases, including traction, auxiliary and stand-still; noise and vibration; air quality, covering exhaust and non-exhaust pollutants such as particulate matter from wheel–rail interaction; and material use and circularity. The standard sets a goal of raising component recyclability rates from 85% to 95%. It also incorporates considerations from the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), including Environmental Standards ESRS E1 to E5.
UIC encourages procurement specialists in railway companies and across the rail supply chain to use IRS 30345 as a primary reference. It said the framework can help standardise tender requirements with harmonised language on environmental performance, align procurement with international standards and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and encourage suppliers to meet higher benchmarks for circularity and energy efficiency. UIC said the document is not legally binding. Catalan Government Railways (FGC), Network Rail, Dutch Railways (NS) and Trenitalia were project partners in developing the standard, with WSP providing consultancy support in drafting the final technical specifications. The full document is available from the UIC shop.
