Parliament adopted the amendments to the Railway Code of Georgia at third reading, with 78 votes in favour.

According to the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Guram Guramishvili, the proposed amendments aim to enhance the quality of passenger services on railways and strengthen the accountability of railway enterprises.

The changes also introduce important new measures to protect the rights of railway passengers.

The amendments define the framework for the supervision and monitoring of the transportation of dangerous goods by rail. The supervision and monitoring of compliance with the rules for transporting dangerous goods by rail will be carried out by the Railway Transport Agency, an entity under the Ministry of Economy.

Moreover, the amendments introduce the obligation to appoint a specialist for the transportation of dangerous goods and regulate the procedures for their certification. New terms such as “person responsible for technical maintenance”, “technical maintenance certificate holder”, “tour operator”, “ticket seller”, and “destination point” have been incorporated into the Code.

The Railway Code now also establishes important guarantees for the transportation of persons with disabilities and persons with reduced mobility.