Ad hoc working group on improving the fundamental documents of the Organization for Cooperation of Railway Companies (OSJD) held 28th meeting in Tashkent.

The meeting revised a number of documents regulating the activities of the organization, improvement of rail policy, implementation of comprehensive measures for the further development of ORC transport corridors. In addition, experts plan to discuss the competitiveness of railways in order to attract additional volumes of international transit traffic and increase the share of railway services in the transport market.

Tadeusz Szozda, OSJD executive committee chairman said the central issue on the meeting agenda was an OSJD Convention, which will protect the interests of all participants of international railway traffic. In general, this will standardize the requirements for all participants and improve the standards of the railway services.

The choice of Uzbekistan as the venue for the event is not accidental. Today the railway industry of Uzbekistan is a successful example of introducing technologies being just developed by many other countries. In September 2011, Uzbekistan commissioned the first Central Asian high-speed railway line from Tashkent to Samarqand. National railways pay much attention to rolling stock modernization, expansion of the fleet via modern technology. The enterprises of Uzbekistan Railways have mastered serial production of passenger and freight cars, and are retrofitting the cars and trains in accordance with modern requirements. As part of the railway and communication infrastructure development program for 2011-2015, the railway sector is planning to spend more than $2 billion of investment.

The Organization for Cooperation of Railways is an international organization founded on June 28, 1956, in Sofia. The OSJD involves 27 countries, including Uzbekistan. The main objective of OSJD is improving the system of international freight and passenger traffic, creating a single railway area in Eurasia, increasing the competitiveness of transcontinental rail lines, and promoting technical progress and scientific and technical cooperation in the field of railway transport.(Source: Uzbekistan Today Newspaper)