Framework Agreement Key Requirements
Applicants, including Railway Undertakings (RUs) and other operational stakeholders, consider Framework Agreements (FAs) a fundamental instrument for creating long-term predictability in the rail sector. Reliable multiannual capacity rights are essential to support investments, strengthen customer confidence, and increase the modal share of rail transport.
Today’s rail capacity planning still suffers from fragmented national approaches, annual timetable thinking, and limited opportunities to secure internationally coordinated multiannual capacity. At the same time, both passenger and freight operators require long-term planning security to justify investments in rolling stock, terminals, maintenance facilities, and new services. Without multi-annual certainty on capacity rights, rail will not see the investments needed to provide a better offer to customers.
For FTE members, Framework Agreements are therefore a key element of the future European capacity management process. Together with Rolling Planning, Framework Agreements should create a customer-oriented and internationally harmonised capacity product that supports investment-driven projects, enables coordinated cross-border operations, and improves reliability for railway undertakings and their customers.
FTE members identified several key requirements for future Framework Agreements. These include:
- predictable and harmonised multiannual capacity products across European networks
- coordinated multi-network applications for international traffic
- transparent and flexible capacity allocation models
- customer-oriented and fully digitalised processes
- fair and balanced Commercial Conditions for both applicants and Infrastructure Managers
- sufficient flexibility to optimise infrastructure usage while maintaining planning security for applicants.
FTE members are convinced that these requirements are essential to improving the competitiveness, reliability, and attractiveness of the European rail sector and to ensuring that Framework Agreements become a truly market-oriented capacity product for the future railway system.
Find the complete document explaining all key requirements here
FA Project
FTE members have launched a project on FAs in 2024. A dedicated task force was established with the goal of defining the desired product (both for domestic and cross-border) and the related process. Since then, the task force is continuosily developing its vision and reacting on the emerging legal and national initiatives. Furthermore, a joint “Task Force Framework Agreements” with Rail Net Europe and IMs was established in spring 2024, where both parties could express their needs, share experiences and discuss the open points at least in the areas where it was possible. The task force published the joint Intermediate Report 1 v0.3.2 in November 2024. In 2025 was discontinued by RNE, the final report was not concluded.
The members of FTE continue to work on the FA project, drafting and promoting their own vision on FAs, including the balanced needs of freight, passenger, small and large applicants, and with the aim to deliver them:
- in the consultation of the European Framework for Capacity Management,
- via the SERAF sub-group on FA (consultation body of the European Commission).