10 June 2026, the European Union adopted new rules on the use of railway infrastructure capacity, marking a significant step towards a more efficient, coordinated, and reliable European rail network.
The Regulation aims to optimise the use of increasingly congested rail infrastructure across the EU by introducing a more harmonised approach to capacity planning. The new framework is expected to improve punctuality and reliability for both passenger and freight services, while facilitating smoother cross-border rail operations.
Under the current system, railway capacity management is largely organised annually, nationally, and through manual procedures. This fragmented approach does not adequately support international rail traffic, particularly rail freight, where around half of all traffic crosses at least one national border.
The new rules seek to address these challenges by strengthening cross-border coordination and introducing multiannual planning for infrastructure capacity. The objective is to make better use of existing rail infrastructure and support the growing demand for rail transport across Europe.
For companies, the regulation is intended to reduce bottlenecks at borders and improve the efficiency and predictability of rail freight transport across the Single Market.
The Regulation enters into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and generally applies from 12 June 2026. Several provisions are subject to phased application dates. As of 11 June 2026, railway governance structures have new tasks and responsibilities to better coordinate the use of the European railway network. They have already begun to work on harmonised rules and procedures. The first optimised timetable developed under the new system is expected to enter into effect in December 2030.
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