First Preparatory Meeting of the Working Group on Pilot Project for use of e-CIM/SMGS consignment note along selected TRACECA routes

The draft Pilot Project Action plan was developed on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 22 May 2023 by representatives of the railway operators of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan Railways JSC), Georgia (JSC Georgian Railway), Kazakhstan (JSC "NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy), Türkiye (TCDD – Transportation AS) and Ukraine (JSC “Ukrainian railways”).

Activities under Pilot Project Action Plan are divided in five parts covering: a) legal aspects; b) technical (IT) aspects; c) operational and organizational aspects; d) multimodal transport and e) Customs and border crossing formalities that will be addressed in two-year time, from June 2023 until June 2025.
 
Responsibilities of the Pilot Project Working Group members have been elaborated during the preparatory meeting as well as external support that is expected and welcome to be provided by Organization for Co-operation between Railways (OSJD), International Rail Transport Committee (CIT), International Union of Railways (UIC), United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE), United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) and PS IGC TRACECA.
 
Analysis related to legal and technical aspects for use of electronic CIM/SMGS consignment note is expected to start immediately and the next Working Group meeting will be scheduled for early September 2023. One of the key activities according to the Action Plan is to develop of prototype of electronic CIM/SMGS electronic document that could be tested initially only between railway operators in beginning of 2024 and subsequently with other stakeholders in multimodal transport and with Customs authorities in beginning of 2025.

According to the Action Plan the outcomes of the work under the pilot project will be suggestions and roadmaps for amending or establishing legal background, further IT development, establishing efficient railway to railway electronic information exchange, as well as better integration between IT systems of Railways with IT systems of operators in other modes of transport, Customs and other border crossing authorities.
 
Regular use of electronic CIM/SMGS consignment note, digitalization and seamless electronic interactions between various stakeholders are expected to increase efficiency of transport operations along TRACECA corridor.