MERITS Database
MERITS (Multiple East-West Railways Integrated Timetable Storage) is a single database containing the timetable data of 32 railway companies which is integrated and reproduced on a monthly basis. MERITS is designed to allow each railway company to have rapid access to all the data it needs to produce timetables, and to operate with one single source of data, thereby doing away with the large number of multilateral exchanges.
MERITS is not an application for the general public, but a tool designed for railway companies, which decide themselves on how their information and distribution channels are supplied based on their own commercial policy.
EDIFACT is the single format used for the supply and extraction of data (SKDUPD and TSDUPD messages). An interface software programme is available for converting proprietary formats to EDIFACT and back.
Today, the database contained 350 000 different timetables. A timetable corresponds to 1 or several trains depending on the operating schedule over the period concerned. MERITS represents the first stage in the creation of a multiple railway database available to the railway companies.
Associated documents
- Service Brands Code List
- Facility Code Mapping (document attached below)
- Structured (data model) representation of passenger traffic (available on shop.uic.org)
OSDM Platform
OSDM Platform (Open Sales and Distribution Model Platform) is a central database for twice-yearly exchange of prices and tariffs for non-yielded tickets.
To facilitate change management, UIC also provides a converter to transform the railways’ old 108-1 format into the new OSDM format.
36 railways are expected to use OSDM in production by August 2021: VR, BC, UZ, CFM, LG, LDz, EVR, KZH, GySEV, ŽRS, CIE, TCDD, CFL, FS, SNCF, CP, ZPC, GC, FARYM, TrainOSE, NSB, DB, SNCB, FPC, BDZ, CFR, ČD, MÁV, ZSSK, SV, SJ, HŽ, SŽ, ÖBB, NS, SBB, DSB and PKP.
Associated documents
The new OSDM standard comprises two parts: online distribution (transport and reservation) and offline distribution (transport only). Whereas previously the two distribution standards were separate, OSDM enables the sale of both online and offline tickets in a single interface.
For online distribution, the new OSDM standard uses an API (application programming interface) which enables distribution of international travel tariffs and prices and seat reservations among railway companies’ distribution systems in real time and makes train tickets available to third party vendors around the world.
By collaborating more closely with distributors (FSM initiative) using a single interface between the various stakeholders (distributors, allocators, carriers, etc.), the railway sector as a whole has taken a major step forward in simplifying ticket distribution for passengers, including through-ticketing, and in developing a consumer-driven, innovative and competitive distribution solution based on transparency and sustainability.
The standard is defined in IRS 90918-10 and provides a new open sales and distribution interface for the passenger transport sector as follows:
- Can be used for all fares, including domestic (offline and online)
- Interface for (multimodal) trip search (online) including bus or local transport ticketing
- Interface for booking/reservations (online)
- After sales for booking/ticket reservations and ancillary services (offline and online)
- Graphical seat reservation (online)
The technical OSDM JSON format used online is also used offline to exchange tariff data for NRT (non-reservation ticket) trains between railways twice per year.
To enable widespread take-up by railways, UIC has decided to publish the OSDM specification, IRS 90918-10, in Apache 2.0 open licence.
For further information, please visit:
Passenger Traffic Tarrifs
UIC Leaflet 106
Standard International Passenger Tariff (NRT)
This Leaflet covers the following points:
- the common principles for participation in the tariff
- management and decision-making bodies
- apportionment and structure of the tariff
- exchange and use of fares information for a European reference price system (Europrice Charter)
- This leaflet enables participating transport companies and carriers to apply common standardised cross-border tariff conditions.
RIC
RIC was an agreement on the exchange and use of coaches in international traffic since 1922.
In 2014 it was moved into a multilateral contract between signatories. RIC was adapted to the current situation in Europe, containing the amended structure, operation and responsibilities of different involved parties.
It is applied between RUs and keepers for the reciprocal use of coaches used in international passenger traffic. Given the nature of passenger transport services, those offering international transport depend on cooperation between successive RU carriers, in particular for the coaches used for passenger transport.
Since its creation these rules contain many significant and necessary amendments for the constant evolution of railways field.
RIC is administered by a Special Group and its Bureau which is part of UIC.
Facility Code Mapping
Facility code data mapping between 918 data and MERITS data.
Service Brand Code List
Service brands define a product by giving it an additional type including a brand name and an abbreviation.
Codifications
Country codes
The list of the UIC country codes according leaflet 920-14 is available:
Country codes
Station codes
UIC members can consult list of station codes using the ENEE application.
Company codes / carrier codes
List of the (4 numeric) UIC railway company codes according leaflet 920-1
The same company code list is also published as carrier codes list for global prices by the CIT here.
Reference table between reservation codes & accounting codes
Download the reference table between reservation codes and accounting:
Leaflets
Available on shop.uic.org.
- Regulations governing production of manual reservation vouchers
- Regulations governing production of reservation lists
- Electronic seat/berth reservation and electronic production of travel documents - General regulations
- Electronic reservation of seats / berths and electronic production of transport documents - Exchange of messages
- Electronic seat/berth reservation and electronic production of transports documents -Transport documents (RCT2 Standard)
- International Rail Ticket for Home Printing
- Schema A - Certificate Request Message
- Schema B - Certificate Transfer Message
- Schema C - Cancellation Message
- Schema D - Cancelation Acknowledgement
- DRAFT / Technical security standards for electronic sales and distribution systems
Reservations
Implementation Guide reservation systems
The latest version of the implementation guide is available on the UIC extranet: https://extranet.uic.org
Please find below the Reservation Files: