On 19th May 2026, the European Parliament formally adopted the European regulation on rail capacity management. The regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union following its official adoption in June or July 2026 and is set to take effect in large part starting with the 2031 timetable year. The member states had already approved the regulation in April 2026. It provides for a three-tier system for capacity planning, including strategic planning on a five-year cycle, annual timetable preparation, and adjustments during the year. This is supplemented by operational intermediate steps involving a capacity strategy, a capacity model and a capacity offer plan. The European Network of Infrastructure Managers (ENIM) is developing key frameworks for capacity and disruption management and is advised by a committee in which access holders are also represented via the European Railway Platform. Furthermore, the regulation introduces Europe-wide fines for infrastructure managers and rail transport operating companies in the event of breaches of obligations regarding allocated train paths that have significant network impacts. The penalties range from 1 to 8 euros per km and may be doubled depending on the impact of the change.
