The Sector releases its Position Paper on Railway Capacity

The Rail Capacity proposal aims to redesign the railway timetable process and to establish a European framework on how rail capacity is planned and allocated in the future. Trilogue discussions between the European Parliament and the Council started mid-November and the European Commission has asked the rail sector to help the discussions with a common position.

In its position, the rail sector calls for:

• The establishment of a European Railway Platform (ERP) as suggested by the EP, which should be consulted in the development of the European frameworks.
• The introduction of socio-economic and environmental criteria to be used as a basis for IM’s decision on who gets a slot if there are capacity conflicts.
• Multiannual funding of IMs by the Member States to allow early planning and communication of construction sites to RUs.

The rail sector also raises concerns on the Council’s position to make Member States strategic guidelines binding and able to overrule the European framework.

Read the full position paper on the right.