1. UNECE GEURL: CIT Documents for Eurasian Rail Freight Transportation
GEURL Meeting, June 2016, Geneva
Cesare Brand
Secretary General to the CIT

2. Legal necessity for harmonisation
Summary:
Legal necessity for harmonisation
Market necessity for global rail freight
Common consignment note
Next steps and practical implementation 2

3. International Railway Cooperation and Uniform railway law
SMGS/SMPS
EU legislation
Eurasian Uniform Railway Law
COTIF-CIM
National legislation

4. Unified Rail Transport Law
Solutions to increase railway competitiveness:
UNECE Joint Declaration
Joint Declaration on the promotion of Euro-Asian Rail Transport and activities towards Unified Railway Law (26 February 2013, Geneva): Important step towards a solution to unify different legal regimes
State of play: Draft legal provisions is being discussed within the UNECE Groups of Experts towards Unified Railway Law (GUERL)
26 February 2016 Decision of the ITC for implementation of the draft legal provisions for pilot transportation
CIT supports all efforts at the governmental level and encourages legislation that is suitable from the viewpoint of the carriers to promote competitiveness of the Eurasia rail freight transportation
SMGS
COTIF/CIM
Unified Rail Transport Law

5. Potential for parcels transportation between China and Europe by rail

6. Opportunities & challenges for railway companies today:
Eurasian Freight Corridors - An existing market with potential
Freight traffic China-Europe
~ 90% Sea/40 days
< 10% Air/1 day
~ 1% Railway/ ~15 days
~ 30 freight trains per week 6

7. Scope of application of CIM and SMGS: Legal Duality
Situation on 1st June 2016
SMGS
CIM
CIM + SMGS
Membership
suspended
Associate
Member

8. Manual for the common paper and electronic Consignment note CIM/SMGS
Parties to the contract (point 10)
Example A: Traffic CIM  SMGS
SMGS
CIM
Reconsignment point
CIM/SMGS
Consignor Consignee Consignor Consignee
CIM CIM SMGS SMGS
Example B: Traffic SMGS  CIM
CIM
SMGS
Reconsignment point
CIM/SMGS
Consignor Consignee Consignor Consignee
SMGS SMGS CIM CIM

9. GLV-CIM/SMGS - Content
General provisions
Common Provisions for paper and electronic consignment notes
Paper consignment note
Electronic consignment note
Final provisions
Appendices
List of members applying the manual
Explanatory notes on the content of the CIM/SMGS consignment note
List of reconsignment points
List of the addresses of departments to which applications for authorisation are to be sent
Specimen of the CIM/SMGS consignment note
Packaging requirements
CIM/SMGS wagon/container list
CIM/SMGS formal report
List of addresses of the departments competent for the handling of claims

10. Common CIM/SMGS consignment note
Implements both contracts of carriage
Recognised as a customs and bank document
Does not undermine the CIM/SMGS liability conditions
The “sum” of the CIM and SMGS consignment notes
Based on:
- Article 6 § 8 CIM + Article 13 and Annex 6 SMGS
- Layout based on the United Nations Layout
- Key for trade documents

11. Common CIM/SMGS consignment note: Practical Use
for east west rail freight traffic
on the Eurasian rail bridge
85% Container transportation
18% Single wagon load
further facilitations (wagon and container list, formal report and formal procedure, etc.)
further legal harmonisation

12. Electronic CIM/SMGS Consignment Note
Functional specifications: updated based on the revision of SMGS (1 January 2016) Legal specifications: to be analyzed an updated in 2016 Current work: Ad hoc technical WG on e-consignment note CIM/SMGS (CIT, OSJD, RAILDATA and experts from CIM & SMGS RUs) Tasks: - revision of the technical specifications; - work towards development of the XML/EDIFACT converter; - the role of electronic signature in SMGS area.

13. Further steps:
Objectives for the next months: extend the application of the consignment note CIM/SMGS in practice
Especially for pilot transportation of postal items on the transcontinental transportation between Europe and China on the TransSib and the Silk Road
Using of the UNECE draft text for the Container trains transportation between China and Europe trough the Countries of Central Asia and Russia
Using for the intermodal transportation on the Baltic Sea and Black Sea
Implementing the UNECE draft legal provisions in the single business contracts on the corridors as model prescriptions or GTC (General Terms and Conditions) for the rail carriers

14. Success story for the railways
Good Quality of infrastructure
Technical interoperability (vehicle authorisation and safety certification)
Level playing field with other transport modes
Competitive and transparent charges for use of infrastructure
Less administrative burdens: New regulatory requirements when customers benefit
Stable and fair legal framework

15. Conclusions Electronic CIM/SMGS consignment note
Best case: transportation of postal items by rail
Unified Rail Transport Law – UNECE/OTIF/OSJD
Savings in time and costs
Simplification of customs formalities
Greater legal certainty
Larger share of the market

16. Cesare Brand
Secretary General to the CIT
Tel: