CIM / COTIF (rail)
Uniform Rules concerning the Contract of International Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM), Appendix B to COTIF 1980 in the version of the Vilnius Protocol 1999
When it applies
International rail carriage where the place of taking over and the place of delivery are in two different member states. Increasingly relevant on Asia-Europe rail corridors, where a consignment may move under CIM for part of the route and another regime for the rest.
Limit
Article 30 § 217 SDR per kilogram of gross mass short. The most generous of the weight-based caps, and still far below the value of most rail-borne manufactured goods.
Notice of loss
Article 47The right of action is extinguished by acceptance of the goods unless a loss is ascertained before acceptance, or ascertainment was omitted through the carrier's fault, or the damage was not apparent and is notified within seven days of acceptance.
Time bar
Article 48One year. Two years in defined cases, including a claim based on loss caused with intent to cause the loss.
When the limit is lost
Loss caused by an act or omission committed with intent to cause the loss, or recklessly and with knowledge that it would probably result — Article 36. A declared value or special interest in delivery also displaces the cap.
What the cap pays on a sample consignment
Applying the published limit to a sample consignment of 1,000 kg gross, 10 packages, invoice value US$120,000. The consignment is an illustration chosen so the arithmetic is checkable — it is not an average, a typical shipment or a measurement.
No conversion between SDR and any currency is shown. The International Monetary Fund revalues the SDR every business day, so a converted figure printed on a page is wrong by the time it is read.
What this means for cover
Rail looks better on paper than road or sea, but 17 SDR a kilogram against electronics or pharmaceuticals is still a fraction of the invoice.
Sources
This page summarises the instruments above. It is not the wording, and it is not legal advice. Where a summary conflicts with a convention text, a policy wording or a certificate, that document governs.
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