OREANDA-NEWS. November 03, 2011. The 55th meeting of the Council for Rail Transport of CIS States held in the Armenian capital Yerevan ended with representatives of railway administrations signing an agreement to set up a unified system for the management and use of freight wagons. Vladimir Yakunin, President of Russian Railways, signed the document on behalf of the Company, reported the press-centre of Russian Railways.

The process of reforming rail transportation and transitioning to a market economy has necessitated improvements to the system of international freight shipments.

At the moment, as part of the ongoing structural reforms in the industry, many railway administrations, including Russian Railways, are transferring their fleet of freight wagons to their subsidiaries.The Council for Rail Transport of CIS States therefore proposed setting up a unified system for the management and use of freight wagons to ensure the rational use of rolling stock belonging to different owners and to cut back on empty runs, etc. This should in turn reduce the costs of vehicle production and improve the wagon performance.

Implementing the agreement will be closely linked with the preparation and adoption of specific changes and additions to existing regulations, as well as with adjustments to the software of the existing automated systems.