Rail Working Group
Conference in Humansdorp

The Rail Working Group is pleased to be an official supporter of the 3rd East & Central Africa Roads & Rail Infrastructure Summit 2012.
The Rail Working Group will take an active part in the Africa Rail 2011 Conference taking place between 27th June and 1st July in Johannesburg.

The Rail Working Group (RWG) is a not-for-profit rail industry association, based in Switzerland. It was established at the request of UNIDROIT (the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law) to represent the position of the rail industry relating to adoption and implementation of the 2007 Luxembourg Protocol to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on matters relating to railway rolling stock (the Luxembourg Rail Protocol). Our key task is to ensure that the Luxembourg Rail Protocol is brought into force in as many countries as possible as quickly as possible but ensuring that the operation of the Protocol does not lose touch with the commercial realities of the rail industry. It is a member of the Preparatory Commission established by the Luxembourg Diplomatic Conference preparing the way for implementation of the Protocol and is represented on its Ratifications Task Force. Membership of the Rail Working Group is open to manufacturers, lessors, banks, law firms, professional advisers, industry experts and intermediaries in the rail sector who are committed to the principles of the Group. Howard Rosen is an English lawyer and principal of Howard Rosen Solicitors, a boutique law firm based in Switzerland which specialises in advising on international asset finance transactions. He is a Correspondent of UNIDROIT and set up the Rail Working Group in He led the RWG’s involvement in the Government Experts’ meetings considering the draft Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment, as well as the Group’s delegation to the Diplomatic Conference in Cape Town in Howard Rosen contributed to the drafting of the Convention and the Aviation Protocol thereto, and has been one of the principal drafters of the draft Rail Protocol. He has also written various articles, and lectures on the Cape Town Convention and the proposed Rail Protocol. to work with the rail industry, government and government agencies to raise awareness of the proposed Rail Protocol and to promote its adoption in a form that will encourage greater and more cost-effective financing by the private sector of capital investment in railway rolling stock. Supports increased capital investment in railway rolling stock. Believes that private sector finance is the key to effective and expanding rolling stock procurement in the rail industry. Considers that adequate and internationally applicable security systems are essential to encourage more private investment in rail rolling stock. Supports the application of the 2001 Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment to all railway rolling stock through the adoption of the Luxembourg Rail Protocol. Encourages the rail industry to press for the Luxembourg Rail Protocol’s prompt signature and ratification and urges its implementation in a cost-effective manner, taking into account current business and operational practices. Recommends to manufacturers that they introduce as soon as possible (where they have not already done so) unique identification systems for each item of rolling stock they produce.