A “significant improvement” and “good basis for European Parliament position on the paper”. These words were used by the European Rail Freight Association (ERFA) on the draft report made by the rapporteur for the Railway Capacity Regulation, Ms Tilly Metz. The Regulation strengthens the role of infrastructure users and introduces a clearer governance structure and a more ambitious implementation plan.
There are four main improvements:
- ERFA generally supported the new Railway Capacity Regulation, but it had its comments, lacking formal consultation with users. This has been amended in the report by creating a formal advisory group.
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The European Network of Infrastructure Managers (ENIM) will be better and more independently overseen by the European Network of Rail Regulatory Bodies (ENRRB), which was granted greater powers.
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Infrastructure managers must provide alternative capacity outside of capacity supply plans. This was essential to increase network flexibility when market needs arose.
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Key issues of the Regulation (such as multi-network capacity rights) are to be implemented earlier (January 2026 instead of the formerly proposed December 2029).
