RZhD President Vladimir Yakunin spoke at jubilee session of the Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
The 75th jubilee session of the Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe hold from February 26-28, 2013, in Geneva. As part of this event, the meeting of the regional transport ministers was held today on the theme "Introducing the Eurasian Transport Network." The "Joint Declaration on the Euro-Asian Rail Transport and Unified Railway Law" will be signed there.
Vladimir Yakunin, President of JSC Russian Railways, gave a speech at the meeting on the creation of a unified railway law as a factor for developing transportation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
According to RZhD press release, in his speech, Vladimir Yakunin said that the legal harmonization of railway systems of different standards is attracting more and more attention from international organizations, and the success of legal harmonization depends on how direct services will be developed between China, South Korea, India, and other Asian countries and Europe in the near future.
He also brought into focus that the major task of international organizations (first and foremost of the Inland Transport Committee) is to create an effective platform for the unification of railway law.
Speaking of the need to unify legal procedures for rail freight, Vladimir Yakunin reminded the meeting that the only successfully implemented international project in this area is the introduction of the CIM/ SMGS Consignment Note jointly developed by CIT and the OSJD, which ensures unimpeded transportation by rail as it applies to Western and Eastern transport law. He said that the November 2012 CIM/SMGS was first successfully tested in the transcontinental route China--Europe. Under the auspices of OSJD, a container train travelled through Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Poland from Chongqing (China) to Duisburg (Germany).
"In connection with this, let me as Chairman of the UIC assure you that this union will seek to develop diverse cooperation with the Inland Transport Committee of legal harmonization in terms of interoperability, simplifying border-crossing procedures, innovation and intelligent transport systems, and other important aspects of rail" said Yakunin.
