The ATTI (Agreement on freight Train Transfer Inspection) Morning was held online on 24 November 2023 with more than 90 participants connecting to the session.
Stefan Zebracki (DB Cargo) chaired the meeting and shared the presentations with the other members of the ATTI Executive Committee. After welcoming everyone, he expressed his delight at the fact that the number of ATTI members is growing and has now reached 175.
Founded in 2014, ATTI is a means of ensuring interoperability in the rail freight sector with an agreement between Railway Undertakings (RUs) to expedite international freight transport by speeding up the inspection process during a train’s handover.
ATTI consists of internal regulations (which establishes the organisation and working methods of the ATTI Special Group), an agreement with appendices, and the QMS (Quality Management System) Database to consolidate quality rules and measure RU wagon quality. All of the documents can be found in the UIC extranet, with the ExCo explaining various functionalities of the extranet in detail.
ATTI’s objective is to have a collective, harmonised agreement for the handover of trains along train routes with no need to negotiate separate bi or multilateral agreements. If an issue on a wagon is discovered, it is clear who is responsible and an ATTI irregularity report is written, so that quality checks can continue to be carried out via random sampling. Communication is vital for quality improvement and the members need to have a mutual understanding for a high standard of quality.
The basic functions of the QMS Database were then explained, including its user guides, test environment access, dangerous goods consignments, quality checks, reports, KPIs, plan management, inspection reports during quality spot checks and so on.
Dirk Euler (Quality Management, DB Cargo) then focused on the substantial amendments for 1 January 2024, which were approved during the 2023 General Assembly. Changes with an organisational purpose and to the quality guidelines have been incorporated into the ATTI Agreement and shall come into force from the beginning of 2024.
Jan Kavrik (Data Analysis, ČD Cargo) then gave examples of annual inspection batches and how they are monitored. The goal is to get an inventory of wagon quality spread evenly throughout the year.
The next General Assembly will be held in June 2024 in Paris and will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of ATTI.
The next ATTI morning will be held on 22 November 2024.
