UNECE GEURL: CIT
Documents for Eurasian
Rail Freight Transportation
GEURL Meeting, 13-14 June 2016, Geneva
Cesare Brand
Secretary General to the CIT
Summary:
• Legal necessity for harmonisation
• Market necessity for global rail freight
• Common consignment note
• Next steps and practical implementation
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International Railway Cooperation and
Uniform railway law
SMGS/SMPS
EU legislation
Eurasian Uniform Railway Law
COTIF-CIM
National legislation
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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
COTIF/CIM
SMGS
Unified Rail Transport Law
 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
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Potential for parcels transportation between China
and Europe by rail
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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
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Scope of application of CIM and SMGS: Legal Duality
Situation on 1st June 2016
SMGS
CIM
CIM + SMGS
Membership
suspended
Associate
Member
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Manual for the common paper and electronic Consignment
note CIM/SMGS
Parties to the contract (point 10)
Example A: Traffic CIM  SMGS
CIM
SMGS
Reconsignment point
CIM/SMGS
Consignor
CIM
Consignee
CIM
Consignor
SMGS
Consignee
SMGS
Example B: Traffic SMGS  CIM
SMGS
CIM
Reconsignment point
CIM/SMGS
Consignor
SMGS
Consignee
SMGS
Consignor
CIM
Consignee
CIM
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GLV-CIM/SMGS - Content
A. General provisions
B. Common Provisions for paper and electronic
consignment notes
C. Paper consignment note
D. Electronic consignment note
E. Final provisions
Appendices
1 List of members applying the manual
2 Explanatory notes on the content of the CIM/SMGS
consignment note
3 List of reconsignment points
4 List of the addresses of departments to which
applications for authorisation are to be sent
5 Specimen of the CIM/SMGS consignment note
6 Packaging requirements
7 CIM/SMGS wagon/container list
8 CIM/SMGS formal report
9 List of addresses of the departments competent for
the handling of claims
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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
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Common CIM/SMGS consignment note:
Practical Use

for east west rail freight traffic



on the Eurasian rail bridge

18% Single wagon load
85% Container transportation
 further facilitations (wagon and
container list, formal report and formal
procedure, etc.)
 further legal harmonisation
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.
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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
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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
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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
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Cesare Brand
Secretary General to the CIT
Tel: + 41 31 350 01 93
E-mail: [email protected]
www.cit-rail.org
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