Cross-border operations are most effective when national traffic control centres (NTCCs) understand each other’s practices, trust their contacts, and share a common vision of “good coordination” under pressure.
The recently established NTCC Cooperation Platform fosters exactly this, facilitating practical collaboration between NTCCs across Europe.
Practical cross-border coordination and real-case learning in Utrecht
On 27–28 January 2026, RailNetEurope (RNE) and ProRail organised and hosted the second NTCC Cooperation Platform meeting in Utrecht, NL.
The meeting brought together 20+ participants representing Europe’s infrastructure managers and their national traffic control centres, with a shared goal: strengthening practical cross-border coordination – from daily operations to major disruptions and crisis situations.
Hands-on agenda and tangible outcomes
The two-day programme combined on-site observation, peer exchange and structured group work.
Day 1 included a visit to ProRail’s traffic control environment, followed by discussions on operational roles and escalation, shared situational awareness, communication interfaces, and incident handling from detection to recovery.
Day 2 focused on group exercises aimed at producing practical outcomes, including
- lessons learned from ADIF’s Iberian blackout case on crisis coordination and information flows
- aligning on common elements for cross-border contingency planning
- identifying future needs to strengthen cross-border operational cooperation and network-wide operational awareness.
Moving forward
The meeting concluded with anticipation for the continued work of the NTCC Cooperation Platform, fostering stronger collaboration and shared learning across borders.
RNE thanks ProRail for hosting the Utrecht meeting and traffic control visit, and ADIF for their practical case presentation, which enabled a reality-based crisis coordination exercise.
RNE also thanks all participants for their open exchange, constructive input, and commitment to sharing operational practices across borders.
The NTCC Cooperation Platform is organised under the umbrella of the European Traffic Management Network (ETMN) concept, supporting practical cooperation between national traffic control centres across Europe.
