INTERNATIONAL: The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Working Party on Rail Transport has published the third revision of the UN Model Rules for the Permanent Identification of railway rolling stock. This features a new Appendix 3 which provides for the incorporation of 16-digit Unique Rail Vehicle Identification System numbers onto digital asset management platforms.
The Model Rules are designed to facilitate the financing and acquisition of railway rolling stock, leading to a reduced cost for those wishing to invest in the railways. Appendix 3 is optional and is not a condition for the registration of an interest in a rail vehicle at the International Registry. However, the Rail Working Group, which represents the position of the rail sector relating to the adoption and implementation of the 2007 Luxembourg Rail Protocol, said this would provide more security for creditors, and could potentially be open to insurers and also regulators.
’This is a major step forward for the industry, allowing creditors for the first time to track the location of rolling stock in real time’, said Rail Working Group Chairman Howard Rosen on February 3. ‘But it will also bring other advantages, facilitating better asset management, including predictive maintenance and easier repossession and redeployment of rolling stock, reducing creditor risk, as well as potentially new pricing structures for leasing of rolling stock on a per kilometre basis.’
Max Eichorn, CEO of real-time rolling stock tracking technology company Nexxiot, said ‘the global freight ecosystem is shifting to a data-first era. Rising volumes, tighter regulations and higher customer expectations now reward operators who can see, measure and optimise every railcar, container and asset in real time. As a 10-year pioneer of rail asset tracking, Nexxiot supports the actions of the UN Working Party on Rail Transport in adopting this major change.’
