TRILOGUE AGREEMENT ON RAIL CAPACITY REGULATION
On Wednesday, the European Parliament and the Council reached a political agreement on the Rail Capacity Regulation, concluding more than a year of negotiations aimed at improving the use and coordination of Europe’s rail infrastructure. The new rules seek to strengthen cross-border railway capacity planning, reduce delays and support the modal shift to rail as part of Europe’s broader climate and transport objectives.
The agreement introduces a three-tiered system for planning railway capacity: strategic planning, annual scheduling and adaptation, while maintaining the central role of national infrastructure managers in capacity allocation and traffic management. To enhance European coordination, the European Network of Infrastructure Managers (ENIM) will be tasked with preparing new advisory frameworks on capacity management, cross-border coordination, crisis procedures and performance assessment. These documents are to be delivered within eighteen months of the Regulation’s entry into force, but their application by infrastructure managers will remain voluntary unless the Commission steps in through implementing acts.
Negotiators also agreed on a harmonised penalty system to ensure better use of the network. Penalties between €1 and €8 per kilometre, potentially up to €16 through a multiplier, will apply where infrastructure managers or railway undertakings fail to meet capacity commitments, with tightly defined exceptions linked to emergency situations or Member State security decisions. In addition, the agreement opens the possibility to establish a European Rail Platform, provided sector stakeholders request it within six months. This platform could give freight operators, forwarders, terminals and other actors a structured channel to raise operational issues and contribute to ENIM’s work.
While the co-legislators strengthened provisions on coordination and transparency, the governance model remains largely anchored at national level. ENIM’s output will be advisory, and Member States successfully defended their authority over key aspects of capacity management. As a result, many improvements such as consistent handling of Temporary Capacity Restrictions (TCRs) and better cross-border traffic management, will depend heavily on the willingness of national actors to implement the new framework ambitiously.
Commenting on the agreement, CLECAT Director General Nicolette van der Jagt welcomed the progress but stressed the need for strong national commitment: “This agreement is a step in the right direction, particularly with the possibility of establishing a European Rail Platform. However, much will depend on the ambition of Member States and infrastructure managers in implementing the new rules. Without genuine cross-border coordination and consistent planning of capacity, the Regulation will fall short of what international rail freight needs.”
The agreement must now be endorsed by COREPER and the Parliament’s TRAN Committee before formal adoption. The Regulation will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal. The first timetable applying the new rules will take effect in December 2030.
Source: European Parliament, Council of the EU