In May 2026, Forum Train Europe FTE held its Plenary Assembly in Bern, resulting in decisions that will shape the future work of the association.
Key decisions approved by the Assembly:
European Railway Platform: Under the Capacity Regulation, the European Railway Platform (ERP) will become an important body. Over recent months, FTE has worked closely with other associations of operational stakeholders to develop the design and rules of procedure for the new platform. The FTE members endorsed the ERP proposal, which is highly inclusive, allows for balanced representation of diverse operational stakeholders, while still operationally efficient.
Temporary Capacity Restrictions: Track works and resulting temporary capacity restrictions (TCR) remain an increasing challenge for availability and reliability of rail transport services. FTE is developing and piloting a new approach with improved processes. The Assembly supported the cornerstones of this approach and mandated further collaboration with other sector associations, with the aim of providing technical input to the European Commission for the delegated acts foreseen in the Capacity Regulation.
- New FTE office in Prague: In a close vote, Prague was selected as the site for a new FTE subsidiary.
In the Commissions for Freight and Passenger traffic, which took place after the Plenary Assembly, the main topics were the implementation of the new Capacity Regulation and the related Change Management. Members exchanged best practices and the FTE Office presented supporting activities during this transition. Several members noted the lack of publicly available implementation plans from infrastructure managers. Many representatives also warned that the RNE-drafted European frameworks may not align with market needs.
FTE President Philipp Mäder stated: “It was great to see such a high level of participation from the FTE Members. I am particularly happy about the great support for the balanced, inclusive and operationally efficient design of the European Railway Platform.”