UNECE's Inland Transport Committee (ITC) today adopted the Model Rules on the Permanent Identification of Railway Rolling Stock, which will facilitate the financing and acquisition of railway rolling stock leading to a reduced cost for those wishing to invest in the railways.
As the 60th legal instrument under ITC's purview, the Model Rules will provide certainty to financial institutions that assets that they have invested in are registered correctly and identifiable through specific markings.
Issued under the auspices of the Working Party on Rail Transport, the Model Rules implement a key requirement of the Luxembourg Protocol to the Cape Town Convention on Mobile Machinery by setting the framework in which rolling stock can be permanently marked for financing purposes.
The rules lay down the methods and responsibilities for affixing the Unique Rail Vehicle Identification System (URVIS) identifier to an item of railway rolling stock as envisaged by the Luxembourg Protocol.
The URVIS identifier and its marking on railway rolling stock are additional to, and do not affect, the existing numbering systems applied in accordance with applicable legislation on admission or operation of railway rolling stock and do not replace the existing registry or information systems used in States or groups of States for the operation of railway rolling stock.
The new Model Rules will encourage more investment in trains and thus a further shift towards the transport of goods and passengers by railway, as opposed to the more polluting modes of transport. This will in turn provide more impetus to efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the transport sector and help to work towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
All United Nations member States can apply the Model Rules upon the entry into force of the Luxembourg Protocol.
