Automated System for Coordination of Goods Traffic (AS CGT)

The RACITS is developing an ‘Automated System for Coordination of Goods Traffic (AS CGT or System)’ to ensure the higher level of logistics services to be provided to cargo owners or customers. High efficiency of the System is based on the following elements:

• The System defines a set of standard technological operations, based on similar technological models. within multimodal supply chains. Then, common rules for all participants of such standard operations are fixed, supported by a tool to assess a quality level of execution with particular emphasis placed on main executors of operations – carriers (normally these are rail companies), and Transport & Logistics Centers (TLCs);
• It is envisaged that a significant number of market participants operating on each of the links of the multimodal chain, would be combined in a single ecosystem, ensuring transparent competitive pricing and, therefore, the true market value of services;
• A single System operator would provide for close interactions with appropriate state supervisory and regulatory bodies;

Interactions of the System’s users is shown on the following scheme:

To ensure user-friendly and reliable online interactions, the System should include a sufficient set of interfaces to share information with data sources’ and recipients’ Automated Information Systems (AIS). Such a set of interfaces should include:

• interactive web-interfaces for customers, consignors, contractors, infrastructure owners, etc.;
• mobile applications for first- and last-mile forwarders, consignors and consignees;
• a set of documented Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for automated information sharing with AISs of logistics companies, operators, owners of rolling stock and infrastructures, as well as with Systems of federal executive bodies;
• integration with the subsystems of TLCs’ operators (information and analytical systems of transport & logistics nodes, further referred to as IAS TLN) at the API level.

A set of interfaces for the System's interactions with users and information systems:

Requirements on System’s characteristics and functionalities include:

• a wide range of potential users’ categories and the ability to expand the list of categories and the number of users;
• a wide range of built-in services and the ability to increase them as the TLCs network develops and as services’ proposals expand;
• operability of the AS CGT as the autonomous and independent System, not influenced by statuses of external information systems, safety and reliability of work, errors and accidents resilience, resistance to cyberattacks;
• multi-platform interfaces and automated workstations;
• integrity with corporate management systems on commercial, technological and financial activities of TLCs’ operators;
• AS CGT System’s openness to interaction and integration with indigenous existing and promising systems (state, corporate, sectorial and general market automated computerized products, navigation geo-information systems, etc.);
• availability of interfaces to interact with public and private IASs of potential foreign counterparties (LOGINK, Neal-Net and similar others);
• flexibility in customizing of business analytics, modeling and planning of transport and logistics processes.

The AS CGT System shall interact with information systems of carriers and customs authorities to carry out all necessary operations on clearance, documentation and payments via these systems. It is expected that the System operator shall be a concentrator of payment transactions for all participants of supply chains. The AS CGT shall ensure the planning of multimodal transport & logistics chains according to the requests accepted and the contracts concluded, as well as monitoring of goods shipments. The recorded results of all major transport and logistics operations shall be available to authorized users.

Using synergy generated by its own capabilities interacted with capabilities of different other IAS, the System shall ensure the possibility to form a qualitatively new kind of digital service – the e-trading platform for freight multimodal transportation based on the cross-cutting technology of high-speed cargo deliveries both on domestic routes and on international transport corridors. The consolidation of the majority of freight transport participants in one trusted ecosystem, as well as reductions of time of deliveries and of logistics costs of transportation are expected to be the most important results of the creation and development of the System.