EU Capacity Regulation published in the Official Journal
Today marks an important milestone for the European rail sector with the publication of the EU Regulation on infrastructure capacity management in the Official Journal, marking the final step of the legislative process and the formal start of the implementation of the long-anticipated Capacity Regulation.
This achievement builds on more than a decade of sector-wide work, actively supported and shaped by FTE, which has been advancing these developments since their inception. The journey began in 2014 with the launch of the Timetable Redesign (TTR) Programme, driven by FTE and RailNetEurope to rethink how capacity is planned and allocated across Europe. Building on this foundation, the European Commission published its legislative proposal in July 2023, aiming to translate these concepts into a harmonised European framework. Following intensive negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission, the trilogue concluded in November 2025, paving the way for formal adoption.
With today’s publication, the Regulation becomes legally binding.
The new framework is expected to improve cross-border coordination, provide capacity better reflecting the market needs and introduce significant changes not only in capacity planning and allocation, but also in traffic management and performance review. It reflects the increasing need for a more flexible, digitalised, and coordinated European rail system, capable of responding more effectively to growing demand and operational complexity.
At the same time, the Regulation places a significant share of responsibility on infrastructure managers to address long-standing challenges in the sector. It will now be crucial to monitor how this new framework is implemented in practice and to what extent it delivers the expected improvements in capacity, reliability and performance across the network.
Looking ahead, implementation will require sustained collaboration across infrastructure managers, railway undertakings, and sector bodies to ensure the Regulation delivers tangible results in the coming years.
FTE Managing Director Edgar Schenk commented “The Capacity Regulation is an important milestone for our sector. The co-legislators have granted infrastructure managers greater powers – and with them a clear responsibility – to tackle long-standing challenges. The years ahead will show whether they can rise to that expectation. As the association representing infrastructure users, FTE will continue to engage constructively with infrastructure managers and regulators to ensure market needs are heard and turned into practical, timely solutions.”
The legal text, translated into the 24 official languages of the EU, can be found here.