Move

European Parliament approves new regulation to upgrade cross-border railway capacity coordination

Posted by Timothy on

The European Parliament has given its final approval to the Regulation on the Use of Railway Infrastructure Capacity in the Single European Railway Area, a landmark decision set to transform rail transport across the continent. 

On Tuesday 19 May 2026, MEPs endorsed comprehensive European Union rules designed to strengthen cross-border railway capacity coordination, reduce network congestion, and significantly increase the reliability of rail services for both passengers and freight.

The need for comprehensive reform

The decision addresses long-standing challenges in European rail transport, where uncoordinated maintenance works and a lack of cooperation between infrastructure managers have repeatedly caused congestion and delays at internal EU borders. 

To promote a modal shift to rail and improve its competitiveness, the new regulation establishes a framework to optimise the use of the EU’s rail network, enhance cross-border coordination, and boost punctuality and reliability. The goal is to move away from fragmented national timetable planning toward a more coordinated European system that can extract more capacity from existing infrastructure without necessarily building new lines.

Key provisions of the new framework

The new rules define the planning and allocation of railway infrastructure capacity under EU conditions, dividing the process into three distinct periods: strategic planning every five years, annual scheduling, and short-term adaptation. While infrastructure managers in each EU country will remain primarily responsible for planning, managing rail infrastructure, and allocating capacity slots, the regulation introduces significant changes to improve coordination.

The European Network of Infrastructure Managers will receive expanded powers to coordinate cross-border capacity and traffic through an EU framework. 

ENIM will monitor and benchmark the performance of rail infrastructure managers to ensure alignment with EU targets, including those for the modal shift to rail. Additionally, the role of railway undertakings, such as operators and service owners, has been reinforced in capacity-related decision-making. These entities will now be able to establish a European railway platform to act as a consultancy body for ENIM, providing a coordinated market voice.

To ensure rail networks are used to their fullest potential, the regulation introduces penalties for infrastructure managers or rail operators who fail to respect their commitments on allocated train paths, particularly when such failures result in significant network disruptions. 

Penalties will range between 1 and 8 EUR per kilometer, with the possibility of doubling this amount based on the severity of the impact. Exceptions to these penalties have been strictly limited to unavoidable emergency circumstances, member state decisions in crisis situations, or grave risks to public order or security.

Digital innovation and conflict resolution

The reform introduces greater use of digital capacity management tools for timetable construction, path allocation, and traffic management. New mechanisms for conflict resolution in congested areas will take into account operational, environmental, and socioeconomic criteria. 

The regulation also mandates better integration of infrastructure works and maintenance planning into timetable development, which is expected to reduce disruptions and last-minute path changes significantly.

Two new bodies for enhanced coordination

The regulation establishes two new European-level bodies. The European Network of Infrastructure Managers will unite railway infrastructure managers from all member states under one umbrella, ensuring that capacity allocation and disruption management are addressed at an EU-wide level. 

Complementing ENIM, the European Railway Platform will bring together network users to provide a robust and coordinated market voice in the implementation process.

Widespread benefits across the European rail network

The regulation is designed to benefit the entire Single European Railway Area, but the most significant improvements are expected on international and freight-intensive parts of the network. This includes the TEN-T Core Network, the Extended Core Network, and the European Transport Corridors that incorporate former Rail Freight Corridors. 

Major north–south and east–west freight corridors, such as those linking North Sea ports to Northern Italy, Central Europe, or the Balkans, will see particular benefits. 

Rail approaches to major maritime gateways like Rotterdam, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Koper, Trieste, and Mediterranean Sea ports will also improve, as freight flows in these areas regularly cross multiple borders. Dense central European networks will additionally benefit from the new framework.

Passengers will enjoy earlier access to international tickets, making journey planning easier and more predictable. Freight transport, which currently faces significant challenges, will benefit particularly from the new rules, as they are designed to address existing bottlenecks and improve reliability.

A lengthy legislative journey and industry reaction

The European Parliament’s approval marks the final legislative step in a process that began with the European Commission’s proposal in July 2023 as part of the Greening Freight Package. The Council of the European Union adopted its first-reading position on April 21, 2026, following a provisional political agreement reached during trilogue negotiations on November 18 and 19, 2025, under the Danish Presidency. These negotiations concluded more than a year of discussions after the Commission first proposed the regulation.

Industry leaders have welcomed the new framework. Alberto Mazzola, Executive Director of the Community of European Railways & Infrastructure Managers (CER), described the regulation as “a key milestone for the rail sector to make existing capacity more efficient and increase it by 4%. CER commends the co-legislators for their dedication in reaching this agreement. The sector is fully committed to implementing the new framework and delivering results for smoother, more predictable planning of passenger and freight services as soon as possible.”

EP rapporteur Tilly Metz (Greens, Luxembourg) stated, “New rules will ensure better planning, usage and coordination of railway infrastructure in the EU. It will facilitate cross-border train traffic and will allow for more trains on the network, without major investments. We bring good news for the freight sector that currently faces huge challenges.” 

She added that freight transport would benefit particularly from the changes, while passengers would be able to buy international tickets much earlier, simplifying journey planning.

Gradual implementation with a long-term vision

The regulation will enter into force on the day following its publication in the EU’s Official Journal, with application beginning the next day. However, full implementation will follow a gradual approach. A five-year programme will establish strategic plans by 2031, followed by annual scheduling and short-term adaptation. 

The first annual timetable fully prepared under the new framework is expected to be the 2031 timetable cycle, with publication in 2030 and application beginning on 14 December 2030. 

Some provisions will start earlier, between 2028 and 2031. The regulation replaces the older framework for allocating capacity, partially overhauls Directive 2012/34/EU, and repeals Regulation No 913/2010 on rail freight corridors. 

It applies to all domestic and international rail services but will particularly benefit complex services, such as freight trains from North Sea ports to Northern Italy, Central Europe, or the Balkans, as well as cross-border passenger services, including night trains. The railway sector has already begun preparations, with organisations like RailNetEurope holding sessions to discuss the changes among rail infrastructure managers.

More on cross-border trains

Channel Tunnel updates

Leave a Reply

To respond on your own website, enter the URL of your response which should contain a link to this post's permalink URL. Your response will then appear (possibly after moderation) on this page. Want to update or remove your response? Update or delete your post and re-enter your post's URL again. (Find out more about Webmentions.)