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New CIT products for liberalised, digitalised rail freight

The 35th meeting of the CIM Working Group took place at CIT Headquarters in Bern in late November 2023. This was the last meeting chaired by Cristian Cuenca (DB Cargo), whom CIT thanks sincerely for his judicious, professional chairmanship over the last six years. We also look forward to working with the new chair, Carola Folch von Sydow (DB Cargo), who begins her three-year term on 1 January 2024.

The tangible output of CIT’s work in this field is the supplements to the Freight products, which have been incorporated into the CIM consignment note manual (GLV-CIM) and CIT Freight Manual (GTM-CIT). A study is currently ongoing into potential new CIT products aimed at substitute carriers. The meeting decided on two future CIT products to take on board the latest developments in digitalisation and customs law: the checklist of irregularities, and the information sheet for the international carriage of waste.

The purpose of the optional checklist plus irregularities reporting sheet and the info sheet is to boost the quality of international rail freight consignments (including dangerous goods and waste) and reduce costs at CIT member railways. The checklist also enables the introduction, at international level, of harmonised, standardised procedures for the identification, reporting and remediation of irregularities in the international carriage of dangerous goods (RID) and/or waste.

Other major factors with a bearing on work in the Freight sector are ongoing digitalisation, the entry into force of the EU eFTI Regulation on electronic freight transport information, and the implementation of the EU Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF) project. The CIT GS is actively involved in the revision of TAF TSI as concerns the interface with the CIM consignment note, in close collaboration with CER and the Joint Sector Group (JSG). The bulk of the work transposing the EU Customs Code/NCTS 5 into the CIT products and amending the CIM consignment note and the CIM consignment note manual (GLV-CIM) will take place during 2024 and early 2025. Work is being closely coordinated with the CER Customs Working Group.

The CIT GS informed participants of CIT’s proposals for possible revision of the CIM Uniform Rules within the OTIF Ad Hoc Committee on Legal Affairs and International Cooperation. Following the CIM WG’s 34th meeting, the CIT GS finalised its position paper on the possible CIM revision and drew up a proposal on how these suggestions could be put to OTIF. Following the Executive Committee’s decisions in September 2023, the proposals were submitted to the OTIF Secretary-General in writing, and will be discussed at the OTIF committee’s forthcoming meeting in April 2024.

The 36th meeting of the CIM Working Group is scheduled for end of June 2024 and will be chaired by Carola Folch von Sydow.

erik.evtimov(at)cit-rail.org