UPU-Rail Forum on international postal item transportation

The CCTT participated in the regular UPU-Rail Forum on international mail item transportation issues in rail and multimodal connections, which took place on December 6, 2021, in a format of videoconference under the aegis of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and chaired by China Post.
Representatives from the Posts of China, Russia, Germany and Lithuania noted that a new "window of opportunity" has opened for rail transport: the development of e-commerce, the demand for contactless delivery and the closing down of the international airline network have dramatically increased the demand for postal item rail transportation. And this significant market segment is already clearly fastened in rail transport due to its advantages: reliability, speed, rhythm, cost and energy efficiency. For example, the first container block trains with international postal items from China to Poland and Lithuania, which were launched in 2020 with the direct participation of the CCTT, have shown their high efficiency and potential. 
At the meeting it were presented multimodal container services of FESCO Transport Group - CCTT Standing Member - for shipment of cargo from Asian countries to the Russian Federation via the ports of the Far East.
The participants of the meeting discussed the issues and opinions of the international organizations (OTIF, CIT, WCO, OSJD and others) concerning the updating of the UPU Guidelines for the transportation of international ipostal items by rail and adoption of the Road Map for the implementation of a pilot project for the paperless transportation of international postal items by rail, the draft of which was prepared by a joint IT mini group of UPU and CCTT experts.
For reference: the Memorandum of Cooperation between the CCTT and the Universal Postal Union was signed in March 2016.