On October 14, 1890, an international convention upon the transportation of merchandise by railroad was concluded at Bern, between Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxemburg, Holland, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Switzerland. Denmark and Roumania came in later.

The object of this convention was to regulate the law governing international transportation between the directorates of the railways and the shippers. To facilitate the execution of this convention an international railway transportation bureau was instituted at Bern.