OREANDA-NEWS. June 07, 2011. The first working session of the Intergovernmental Technical Committee for the Standardisation of Rail Transportation No. 524 took place at the International Business Forum: Strategic Partnership 1520 in Sochi, reported the press-centre of RZD.

The Technical Committee was set up on the initiative of the Council for Rail Transport of CIS and Baltic States.

"The overall integration of economies and the issues of our countries joining the WTO have encouraged all of us to take a correspondingly new view of the rules in this area." said Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin. "The rail transportation market is attracting more and more new businesses, the number of suppliers providing different modes of transport and transport services, including foreign contractors, is increasing. The Committee for Standardisation should clearly and unambiguously formulate the product parameters and processes and, based on consensus, take into account the needs and opportunities of the businesses on the market."

According to Yakunin, considerable work has already been done with regard to international standardisation. 2009-2010, for example, saw the preparation and approval of the first 34 inter-governmental and national standards to meet the technical regulation requirements.

Legislative changes regarding the use of preliminary standards have been introduced in Russia and other countries to facilitate the introduction of innovative standards in practice, while the Russian Committee on Standardising Rail Transport has started work.

In addition, over 120 enterprises and some 1,000 experts in Russia have been involved in the development of modern standards.

A contact group consisting of experts from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Europe and the Organisation for Rail Cooperation is working on harmonising standards between the broad-gauge 1520 mm and the narrow-gauge 1435mm systems.