For more than 15 years railML.org has worked to develop railML – a uniform data exchange format for the railway community. Originally consisting of only a few members, the community has expanded to include partners from all over Europe and international cooperation has become essential. In account of this, railM.org was advised to develop a written Code of Conduct by which all the current and future members of the community shall abide.

What is it about?

The Code of Conduct will simply state the principles and rules which the railML community has followed since its beginnings. This includes policy regarding compliance with competition laws as well as anti-trust guidelines. Also explicitly stated is the railML community’s continued conformity with intellectual property rights. A last point is also made in reference to liability within the community. This is solely a necessary step as our community continues to grow.

In order to make the Code of Conduct as thorough as possible, it was formulated using documents from similar organisations like AutomationML and buildingSMART as guidelines. Our coordinators and stakeholders have conferred with one another and a first draft was agreed upon. It goes without saying, that railML will remain open to all and free of charge. There will also not be any license changes.

What happens next?

The next steps for all our members are to download and read the draft of the Code of Conduct. Afterwards, please provide us with your feedback. This guarantees that the draft will be amended in time. The Code of Conduct will officially be presented at the railML autumn conference in Brussels on November 6^th, 2019, where members will have a final opportunity to express their thoughts on it.

Until the end of the year, a final draft will be written and published on the railML.org website. The Code of Conduct shall become binding starting on January 1^st, 2020. Following 2 to 3 years of it being in place, results and any effect it had on the railML community will be reviewed and the Code of Conduct will be amended as necessary.

railML.org would like to thank all our members for their continued support and collaboration. We hope to continue working together for many years to come.