1. Briefly, how would you describe the Bulletin?

The Bulletin sets out periodically the activities of the OTIF organs and is a veritable storehouse of information, at first concerning the development of uniform rail transport law applicable to goods, including dangerous goods, and then also on the law applicable to passengers and luggage in international traffic. It describes OTIF's activities in general, the various stages in the adoption of legislative texts, and reproduces in full texts which have been finally adopted. Besides official communications, it includes legal decisions emanating from various Member States' courts and tribunals concerning the international contract of carriage by rail, and studies on transport law written by specialists in the field.

2. Who is the Bulletin for?

The Bulletin is essentially a scientific and reference publication. Frequently quoted in legal opinions and case law, it has become widely accepted in circles specializing in international rail transport law. It is therefore intended mainly for national and international administrations, international organizations and associations active in the rail sector, rail transport undertakings, infrastructure managers, universities and law professionals.

3. How long has the Bulletin been published?

The first issue of the Bulletin of International Carriage by Rail was published in January 1893, i.e. from the entry into force on 1 January 1893 of the first International Convention on the Carriage of Goods by Rail of 14 October 1890 and the setting up of the Central Office for International Carriage. Under the Convention, the Central Office had in particular to "gather, coordinate and publish information of any sort which is of interest to international transport services". This information was to be received from the Contracting States and the railway administrations and printed in a periodical publication in German and French. It was later specified that the Bulletin would contain the information necessary for the application of the CIM and CIV Conventions, particularly communications relating to the lists of lines, as well as case law and statistical documents.

4. Does the Bulletin still meet the same objectives as those it was assigned when it began?

Although for practical and financial reasons some information, e.g. concerning the lists of lines, is no longer published in full in the Bulletin, it still follows the aim it was set of bringing to the attention of interested groups information relating to the application of the Convention, as well as studies, rulings and information important for understanding and applying railway law. It has been adapted to the future development of OTIF's tasks and to this end, it has since 2002 included a heading dedicated to the technical field.

5. Why does the period of publication of the Bulletin vary?

In COTIF 1980 (Article 9 § 2 (h)), the term "periodical bulletin" replaced "monthly bulletin" in order to highlight the fact that the Bulletin certainly remains a publication that appears regularly, but is no longer published monthly as in the past. This flexibility in when it is published means the Bulletin can be adapted very quickly and can be published more frequently when events so require. Thus, during the revision work which led to signature of the Vilnius Protocol, in 1997 the Bulletin was published every two months and then in 2001 reverted to being published every three months once the task of providing information about the revision work had been completed.

6. In which languages is the Bulletin published?

Right from the start, the Bulletin has been prepared for publication in French and German. In anticipation of the entry into force of the Vilnius Protocol, which introduces English as the third working language of OTIF, since 2002 a full trilingual version of the Bulletin has been published.

7. Why is the Bulletin in black and white with no photographs or diagrams?

Only very rarely have colour photographs or diagrams been published in the Bulletin. If the Bulletin were illustrated more systematically, this would create problems of cost.

8. Where can you buy the Bulletin?

The Bulletin can be bought in specialist bookshops or from the OTIF.

9. What will be the future role of the Bulletin?

COTIF 1999 (Article 23) devotes a whole Article to the Bulletin. As at present, it will contain official communications as well as others necessary or useful with respect to the application of the Convention.

In addition, the communications for which the Secretary General is responsible under the Convention may, if necessary, be made in the form of a publication in the Bulletin.

 

10. Do you have any other questions concerning the Bulletin?

Contact the editor