Rail bill of lading

A rail bill of lading is the carriage document for goods moving by rail, issued either as a domestic rail receipt or, for international European rail, as a CIM consignment note. The CIM note is governed by the Uniform Rules concerning the Contract of International Carriage of Goods by Rail (CIM), Appendix B to the COTIF Convention administered from Bern. The CIM note is not a document of title and not negotiable; it evidences the contract and the railway’s receipt of the goods. Its electronic form is supported under COTIF. For shipments crossing into CIS and Asian networks the SMGS consignment note applies instead, with the CIM/SMGS common note bridging the two regimes.