With this newsletter, we are pleased to share the latest developments, updates and insights from FTE with our community. Planned for publication on a quarterly basis, it aims to give you a concise overview of the most relevant topics shaping our sector.
For those wishing to explore topics in more detail, we invite you to visit our website or get in touch directly with the team at the FTE Office.
News from FTE
Capacity Regulation Enters into Force
The publication of Regulation (EU) 2026/1184 marks a major milestone for the European rail sector. With its entry into force, the long-anticipated reform of capacity management has a formal legal basis, setting the framework for more coordinated, market-oriented and cross-border capacity planning across Europe.
This achievement builds on more than a decade of sector work in which FTE and its members have been closely involved. From the launch of the Timetable Redesign programme in 2014 through to the European Commission proposal in 2023 and the conclusion of trilogue negotiations in late 2025, FTE has consistently contributed operational expertise and represented the needs of infrastructure users.
The immediate focus now shifts to implementation. The Regulation introduces significant changes across capacity planning and allocation, traffic management and performance review, while placing increased responsibility on infrastructure managers to deliver tangible improvements.
Looking ahead, effective implementation will require close cooperation between infrastructure managers, railway undertakings and sector organisations.
“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 meet to that expectation.” Philipp Mäder, President of FTE
FTE will continue to engage actively to ensure that market needs are reflected in the practical rollout of the new framework.
ERP Proposal Submitted to the European Commission
With the Capacity Regulation now in force, the European rail sector has taken a key next step with the joint submission of the proposal for the European Railway Platform. The press release can be found here.
Spearheaded by FTE in collaboration with ALLRAIL, CER, ERFA, FEPORT, UIP and UIRR, the ERP proposal reflects broad cross-sector support. It brings together railway undertakings, service facility operators, ports, combined transport actors and other stakeholders into a single platform representing the operational voice of the market.
The proposed structure is both inclusive and operationally efficient. It is open to a wide range of participants, including smaller organisations and new entrants, while ensuring effective decision-making through balanced governance and streamlined procedures. Importantly, the ERP is designed to act as a strong counterpart to ENIM, enabling market actors to coordinate positions and contribute meaningfully to the development of future European frameworks.
The timing is critical. Early establishment of the ERP will ensure that the market perspective is present from the start of implementation, particularly as key elements of the new system are still being defined, such as the European Frameworks.
FTE has played a central role in coordinating this effort.
“For many months, Forum Train Europe has coordinated this joint effort. The result is a proposal that is both legally robust and practically workable. We look forward to seeing the ERP operational as soon as possible.” Edgar Schenk, Managing Director of FTE
The sector now calls on the European Commission to assess the proposal swiftly so that the ERP can begin its work without delay.
The discussions underline a clear message. As implementation begins, maintaining strong coordination and ensuring that market perspectives are heard will be essential.
Consultation in the Context of the Capacity Regulation
Development of the European Framework for Capacity Management
The development of the European Framework for Capacity Management will be a key factor in the new Capacity Regulation. It will be essential that the new rules reflect market needs.
In this context, FTE has been actively supporting its members by coordinating the sector’s response to the RNE stakeholder engagement on the EFCM Scoping Document. Members submitted a high number of contributions, resulting in more than 200 comments overall, including over 100 comments channelled through the FTE-coordinated submission.
FTE gathered the input provided by its members, consolidated and structured it, and submitted it to RNE in a coherent and aligned format. This ensured that a wide range of operational perspectives were effectively represented in a way that could be directly considered.
The submitted remarks are published here.
The beginning of the formal consultation is expected for January 2027. FTE will actively participate and represent the requirements of its members.
Commercial Conditions
Details on the penalty regime foreseen in the Capacity Regulation will be further detailed in the European Framework for Capacity Management. RNE will discuss a first draft during the coming weeks with railway undertakings and other operational stakeholders.
FTE demands that the new rules include a fair system of commercial conditions and penalties as this has a direct financial impact on its members.
RNE announced that consultation with stakeholders on a first draft will start on 3 July and will run until 31 August. FTE will put forward the RU's requirements in consultation with its members. Further details will follow as soon as the draft has been submitted by RNE.
Temporary Capacity Restrictions
With the entry into force of the Capacity Regulation, several deadlines for implementing the new timetable planning processes will come into effect. With regard to Temporary Capacity Restrictions (TCRs), this means DG MOVE must adopt a delegated act setting out the details of Annex I-8 by December 2027. This Annex should define a standardised European process governing how train paths that have already been allocated but are affected by maintenance and construction works must be reallocated. At the same time, some provisions described in the Annex I-3 related to TCRs Coordination, Consultation and Publication will also be analyzed.
This capacity management regulation is very important for railway undertakings and all involved parties, as maintenance and construction works have a massive impact on the performance of passenger and freight services and are currently causing significant dissatisfaction among customers and ultimately leading to a shift in traffic to the roads. Given the crucial importance of this subject, FTE began work in 2024 on a standardised re-planning process for developing traffic solutions for trains affected by several maintenance and construction works on their journey. The aim is to reduce the workload for all involved stakeholders caused by constant rescheduling, while improving the reliability of the revised timetables.
DG MOVE is currently giving all stakeholders the opportunity to provide so-called technical input on the drafting of Annex I-8. We are pleased to take this opportunity to present the concept developed by FTE and its members. We are therefore taking a leading role in RNE’s stakeholder engagement in order to represent the interests of the railway undertakings through the concept we have developed for the design of the sectoral solution.
At present, it appears that the proposals are meeting with broad support, so we hope that our market- and customer-focused proposals will be transposed into European law in December 2027. FTE will keep you informed about the progress.
News from FTE Working Groups
Working Group Operation: Preparing for Consultation on the Framework for Traffic Management
Building on the eight consensus positions developed at the WG Operation Warsaw workshop, the group is now deepening its EFTM input by working through specific operational scenarios in more detail. One scenario currently under development is cross-border bus replacement services during disruptions, an area where practice still varies significantly between IMs and RUs.
WG Operation has recently surveyed its passenger-side members on this topic. The aim is a common operationally grounded FTE position ahead of the official EFTM consultation, reflecting real-world complexities. Further positions, such as freight-specific topics, are expected.
Working Group IT: ERA Technical Documents
WG IT is in progress with a structured review of ERA's newly issued technical documents (TD 100–106), the detailed specifications underpinning TEL TSI implementation, and identified a significant number of practical and technical gaps that need resolving before reliable sector-wide implementation is possible. Several of these gaps touch foundational reference material that the TSI's own compliance and self-assessment provisions rely on. This feedback has been channelled into the sector-wide coordination process (Joint Sector Group SMO/TEG), ensuring that the RUs' perspective is represented.
With firm milestones set out in the TSI's Appendix G now approaching, FTE is pressing ERA on the urgency of closing these gaps, so members are not penalised for delays outside their control.
To enable our members, the FTE Office is drafting a "Reference Book on Capacity Regulation (and TSI TEL) Information Exchange" which would explain what all upcoming requirements on the sector are (potentially followed by RU IT Vision document).
Dates & Meetings
- 07. - 09.07.2026 : FTE C Passenger Traffic Conference, Ljubljana (Slovenia)
- 07. - 10.07.2026 : FTE D Freight Traffic Conference, Ljubljana (Slovenia)
- Between 16.07. and 02.10.2026 : TCR workshop series with JO RNE
- 28.07.2026 : WG Operation, online (further on 18.08., 29.09., 27.10., 24.11)
- 13. - 14.10.2026 : WG Planning, Vienna (Austria)
- 14.10.2026 : WG IT, Vienna (Austria)
- 27.11.2026 : FTE Plenary Assembly, online