This position paper sets out the Group of Representative Bodies’ (GRB) view on the general principles for the route compatibility check (RCC) before the use of authorised vehicles as outlined in Article 23 of the Interoperability Directive (EU) 2016/797.
The Group of Representative Bodies asks the European Union Agency for Railways to adopt the RCC principles set out in this paper. The GRB asks for clear guidance documentation to be developed by the Agency for how the route compatibility process should be implemented in the day to day business where appropriate, either in a dedicated RCC application guide or in a section of existing guide documents.
The two concepts of technical compatibility with the network on one hand (article 21) and route compatibility on the other hand (article 23) as laid out in the interoperability directive shall be respected and kept separately. However, clear guidance is necessary to understand the content and responsibilities included and to ensure the route compatibility check performed by the railway undertaking is as easy, lean and straightforward as possible.
