The original agreement was signed in Dushanbe 28 April 2003.
It provides for the establishment of a unified system for ensuring the security of the railways of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states. This system should help to address issues of national security, defence and economic development in the Russian Federation and members of the CSTO.
An integrated system for protecting the railways will guarantee the uninterrupted operation of rail transport, something that is in the national security interests of CSTO member states. It will facilitate the performance of various military-related tasks, the mobilisation of combat forces, and the economic development of the CSTO member states. It will also represent the acknowledgment that CSTO members act as reliable partners when dealing with issues of transport security at the international level.
The technological protection of the railways of CSTO member states comprises a set of engineering, technical and organisational measures undertaken in peacetime and when countries are at war, to ensure the thorough preparation of installations, facilities, and devices linked by the railway network. It also involves renewing and maintaining the capacities and the means to eliminate the effects of enemy attacks on the railway network operated by the parties to the agreement.