The joint meeting, held in the OSJD Committee on 6-9 December 2016, was attended by the plenipotentiary representatives of the members of the OSJD Ministerial Conference and/or plenipotentiary representatives of the members of the Conference of General Directors (Authorized Representatives) of OSJD Railways from the following countries:

The draft Convention on Direct International Railway Traffic has been developed for more than 10 years by the Ad Hoc Working Group for Updating the OSJD Fundamental Documents. The draft Convention includes as annexes the main international agreements and regulations binding within the framework of OSJD, including the SMPS and SMGS Agreements. As a result, the draft Convention was prepared and agreed upon in the framework of OSJD by the countries with different railway transport operational models.

Within the framework of preparation for the First Global Conference on Sustainable Transport to be carried out in Turkmenistan in late November 2016, an International Media-Forum was held in Ashgabat in the building of Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 16-17 September which was attended by more than 150 representatives of government bodies of Turkmenistan, international organisations and transport mass media from around the world.

The first China – Europe container block train under the family brand “China Railway Express” arrived in Poland. On 8 June the train set off from station in Chengdu, the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan, then crossed the territories of Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus and arrived 12 days later in Warsaw on 20 June 2016, where a solemn ceremony was organised attended by Chairman of the Chinese People’s Republic, Xi Jinping, President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, heads of a number of ministries and railway administrations from both countries. The ceremony was organised within the framework of an official visit of the Head of the Chinese People’s Republic to the Republic of Poland.

Pendolino trains in Czech Republic to be modernised

After more than ten years of operating Pendolino high speed trains, Czech Railways (CD) is planning to rejuvenate their interiors. One of CD's most popular and most used train types will be outfitted with new carpets, new seat upholstery, a children's cinema compartment and other improvements.

New railway route China — Europe is open.

Meeting XXXI of the Conference of General Directors (authorized representatives) of OSJD Railways (CGD) began its work on 25 April 2016 to be held according to the plan from 25 till 29 April 2016. The meeting is held in Cholpon-Ata – a city in the Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan, located in the central part of the northern shore of the Issyk-Kul Lake, 265 km east of Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, and 145 km west of the town of Karakol.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Mohsen Pour Seyed Aghaie, Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development - Chairman of the Board and CEO of Railway of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Renato Mazzoncini, FS Italiane CEO in Tehran on 9 February 2016.

A container train to Iran started from the city of Yiwu in Eastern China on 28 January 2016 transit through the territories of China, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran.

On 29 March 2016 a tripartite meeting was held in Moscow attended by Head of Byelorussian Railway Vladimir Morozov, President of "Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company" JSC Askar Mamin and President of RZD JSC Oleg Belozyorov which subject was to discuss some collaboration issues within the United Transport and Logistics Company (UTLC JSC).