The efficiency of railway freight transport is an ambitious and complex project of the European Union. In spite of its well-known advantages, especially in the segment of heavy and massive goods, railway transport is hindered by reasons related to both technical and legislative details. There are those hindrances that need overcoming for creating an interoperable network across the entire Europe, as well as on corridors providing connection to Asia.
One of the methods of increasing the attractiveness of railway freight transport is reducing the volume of required documents. The manual information system is flawed, slows down the process of booking transport tickets and increases costs. The entire railway system needs electronic support in all these operations. Here are several examples of good practices in implementing electronic applications for simplifying railway freight transport procedures.
Railway operators bet on data fluidity
In March 2008, nearly 20 railway freight operators decided to implement the technical specifications in order to be able to automatically send transport documents. A team including UIC, CER and CIT representatives monitored the programme while RAILDATA aimed at establishing the particular technical specifications, including the structure of the messages to be sent and their flow. This is a short synopsis of the e-rail freight, the automatic procedure of elaborating transport documents with the well-known bale of papers.
“E-Railfreight is a major project for the European freight railway industry. This project will support an automatic feeding of different national information systems with the commercial data. This process should dramatically increase the reliability of the information flow between the involved partners. The implementation of a paperless procedure allows railway undertakings to receive the related data much in advance and therefore helps improving the treatments of the information and optimizing the processes. E-Railfreight simplifies the relationship with freight rail customers and ensures a closer collaboration with them based on reliable data flows”, declared Francis Bedel, from SNCF. The benefits of a paperless procedure are also admitted by Rail Cargo Hungary. “E-Freight Internet customer service system has been developed especially for Rail Cargo Hungary Zrt. and its partners. The goal of the IT program is to assure the electronic data exchange and data disclosure in the technological processes of freight activities”, the Rail Cargo Hungary officials said. “E-Freight system not only supports the sales activities, the financial performance and the one-window customer service, but provides a hand for train traffic information-flow related operational duties, as well”, added the Rail Cargo Hungary officials.
Russian Railways (RZD) representatives believe that to offer clients a new level of quality in transport and logistics services (with an economically justified and competitive price, and convenient, flawless service), efficient interaction must be ensured between the various modes of transport, in particular between rail and sea, and transport companies must interact with state authorities.
“Russian Railways has carried out a large amount of work in this area through the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSZD) and the International Rail Transport Committee (CIT), which are essentially the main coordinators of the railway community on the Eurasian continent. As part of efforts to introduce paper-free technology in international freight, Russian Railways is working with international organizations to create a legal and regulatory framework for electronic CIM/SMGS way-bills”, declared the RZD representatives.
The International Railway Transport Committee believes that adopting information technology is one way for undertakings to remain competitive. The speed with which they can respond to customers’ demands is crucial in determining the customers’ choice of commercial provider.
“Use of information technology also allows costs to be reduced. Within the transport business it would seem that the costs of traditional paper documents and delays in movement resulting from the production and checking of these documents are the equivalent of 10 to 15% of the total cost of carriage. In the rail environment, use of electronic consignment notes will allow EUR 20 per consignment note to be saved compared with paper documents”, the CIT representatives stressed the importance of using the information technology in transport documentation.
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