Cibolan Rail
| Cibolan Rail | ||
| ||
| Headquarters | Stadt Sankt Rosa | |
| Official language(s) | Istvanistani | |
| Type | Intergovernmental organization | |
| Leaders | ||
| - President | ||
| - Vice-President | ||
| - Main assembly | Cibolan Rail Council | |
| Establishment | X.1743 | |
| Membership | 5 nations | |
| Organisation website | rail.cibola | |
| Organisation forum | bbs.rail.cibola | |
Cibolan Rail is an organisation that intends to further the cooperation of nations and railroad companies on the continent of Cibola.
Cibolan Express
The Cibolan Express is a proposed rail line that spans the Cibolan continent, a train would be able to traverse the continent without having to exchange locomotives at the border. On the line, the same technological standards would be maintained:
- 25 kV AC electrification
- Standard-gauge
- LanzerwaldSpoor-compatible cab-signalling train control
- Maximum speed of 160 to 240 kilometres per hour between stations
The trains would stop at special customs-protected platforms, making sure travellers only have to go through customs when they leave or enter the train in a given country, and not every time a border is crossed.
Construction
The first leg of the Cibolan Express to be constructed was between Stadt Sankt Rosa and Neurossheim, this leg had stops in Stadt Taktwinkel, Ciudad de Oro, Rossmarkt (Aemilia) and Bein (Etzeland). Surveyors of Cibolan Rail began their work in XI.1743, with the hope that the railroad would be functional by the end of 1748. The cities were already connected through the ABB Inland Tram route, but this route was in many places not suitable for high-speed trains, so new tunnels and railroad bridges had to be constructed, curve radii had to be increased, and railway stations along the route had to be upgraded. In XII.1743, surveyors also started to explore the extension of the line from Stadt Sankt Rosa to Geneva with stops in Port Carrillo, St. Lazaros, Vadoma City and Ayreon's Bay. This extension followed the path of the Coast Tram until Port Carrillo and the existing rail network of Baudrix until Geneva. Between Stadt Sankt Rosa and Port Carillo, curve radii had to be increased where the tram lines had tight curves, and between Port Carillo and Geneva the train control system had to be upgraded to allow the high-speed trains to use the existing railroad network safely, this included retrofitting domestic Natopian trains that used the same line with the cab-signalling system used on the entire Cibolan Express route. These works were expected to be finished in early 1748.
In the north of Cibola, surveyors started working on the northern leg of the Cibolan Express in XV.1743. Difficult was that the Imperial Federation used two different gauge for rail tracks, metre-gauge and 1500mm gauge. Where possible, Cibolan Rail decided to lay a new single-gauge rail track with standard gauge along the route of the existing lines, where that was not possible, a dual gauge solution was sought, for example in and around existing train stations. The situation in the Sanaman people's republic of Gogledd Cybwl was also a massive undertaking, as no existing rail network survived from previous inhabitants of the region, and a complete new construction was necessary. The local authorities and the Cibolan Rail Council approved the route of the new line on VII.1745 and construction began in II.1746. The northern leg would go from Nova Victoria in the Imperial Federation to Llannerch in Gogledd Cybwl, with stops in New Valeria, Cragspur, Nordhafen in the Imperial Federation and Bledd, Castell Cybwl and Bysigdon in Gogledd Cybwl. Construction of this leg was expected to be finished in 1749.
To finish the line, the final leg between Geneva and Llannerch had to be constructed. Between Geneva and Providencia, in Baudrix, the train control system had to be upgraded and between Providencia and Llannerch a completely new line would have to be constructed. Surveyors started to work in 1746, construction started in 1747 and the final leg was finished in 1751, which meant that trains could finally be run from Neurossheim in Etzeland, to Nova Victoria in the Imperial Federation, through the Aemilian Federation, Baudrix and the Sanaman People's Republic of Gogledd Cybw.
Cibolan Freight
To make it more easy to transport freight over rail on the Cibolan continent, Cibolan Rail launched the Cibolan Freight initiative in I.1745. The organisation would not construct a completely new line such as was the case with the Cibolan Express, but would work towards harmonising the technological standards and removing legal barriers. To speed up the process, it was decided to go for a three-tiered system for freight connections:
| Tier | Specifications | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Cibolan Rail compliant electric trains, including both locomotives and other rolling stock can cross borders |
| 2 |
|
Cibolan Rail compliant diesel trains, including both locomotives and other rolling stock can cross borders |
| 3 |
|
Cibolan Rail compliant unpowered freight cars can cross borders, locomotive change at borders. |
Cibolan Rail would encourage member states to work towards full compliance with the Cibolan Freight initiative to make international travel by railroad as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible.
CF Carnet
To make international rail transport of goods more smooth, Cibolan Freight offers an international customs transit system, usually known as the CF Carnet. Under this customs transit system, only limited border checks are necessary, so that trains don't have to be held up for several hours on international borders. Instead:
- In the country of departure, specially certified shipping containers or freight cars are loaded under the supervision of that nation's customs authorities.
- Customs authorities in the country of departure seal the shipping container or freight car, so that its contents cannot be accessed without damaging the seal, and issue a CF Carnet that details the number of the seal, and the contents of the container.
- When the train passes a border, the train crew will show customs of the transit country a number of documents, including the CF Carnet and certifications of all sealed shipping containers and freight cars, customs will inspect the seals, the seals will not be broken unless customs discovers irregularities.
- When the train reaches its final destination, customs of the receiving country will check the CF Carnet and the seals of the shipping containers or freight cars before opening them. Checks on the content of the shipping container or freight car will be done at the discretion of customs.
- After any applicable taxes and tariffs have been paid, customs will release the contents of the shipping container or freight car.
Shipping containers and freight cars will be certified by their manufacturer, to make sure that the cargo cannot be interfered with without breaking the seals. To certify its own containers and freight cars, the manufacturer must be a member of Cibolan Rail, and have been authorised to do so. Technical drawings of the shipping containers and freight cars must have been reviewed by Cibolan Freight before the certification can be awarded. After five years have passed, a shipping container or freight car will have to be inspected to receive a new certificate, this is usually done by the railroad company that uses said container or freight car. Random checks will be performed by Cibolan Freight to make sure that inspections are done thoroughly. All individuals performing the inspection have received training to do so by Cibolan Freight.
Hazardous materials
Strict regulations exist for the transportation of dangerous goods through the Cibolan Freight network, both rules determined by Cibolan Rail as rules determined by the member states. The CF-HazMat standards prescribe how hazardous materials need to be packaged, how they must be labelled and how they must be loaded in rail cars to prevent spillages and contamination of other goods. The individual member states have the sole authority to determine what hazardous materials can be transported over their territory.
For example, a shipment of nitrobenzene in 200 litre drums would need to be secured in the rail car with straps and drum strap bars. Both the drums and the rail cars would need to be labelled with stickers that state the CF-HazMat number (5276) and label 5 (toxic materials). The drums need to have a type certificate issued by Cibolan Freight to the manufacturer of the drums for the transport of toxic liquids, the drums need to be certified by the manufacturer to comply to the type certificate and no more than 5 years may have passed since they were manufactured. The drums could not be transported along with foodstuffs, either for human or animal consumption, in the same rail car.
Responsibility for loading a rail car with hazardous materials lies with the shipper, the shipper or someone who works under their authority will check whether the goods have been loaded securely according to Cibolan Rail standards, will seal the rail car, and will sign for the secure loading of the shipment on the cargo manifest, along with the number of the security seal. The seal may only be opened for inspection of the cargo by designated Cibolan Freight officials and law enforcement. A new security seal shall be placed on the rail car after inspection, and the number of this seal will be noted on the cargo manifest as well. If the transport crosses national borders, instead of a normal security seal, the CF Carnet can be used, the shipper remains responsible for safe loading of the rail car and must sign the cargo manifest with the number of the CF Carnet.
Participating nations
| State Party | Accession |
|---|---|
 Aemilia |
X.1743 |
 Etzeland |
XI.1743 |
 Sanama |
XI.1743 |
 Imperial Federation |
XI.1743 |
 Natopia |
XI.1743 |
Participating railroad companies
| State Party | Accession |
|---|---|
| Aemilianische Bundesbahnen |
X.1743 |
Participating manufacturers
| State Party | Accession |
|---|---|
| LanzerwaldSpoor |
X.1743 |
| Weisenburger Maschinefabrik |
X.1743 |
