The Capacity Management Handbooks aim to ensure the definition of market-oriented and efficient European railway capacity management processes.

The approval of the new or updated Capacity Management Handbooks by the RNE General Assembly in May 2024 was another significant step towards efficient planning and market-oriented capacity management in the railway sector.

The 3 Capacity Management Handbooks

The Handbooks form part of the gradual implementation plan of the Timetable Redesign (TTR) programme.

The three new or updated Capacity Management Handbooks encapsulate sector-wide agreements on various process aspects, with the primary goal of establishing a unified foundation for European Capacity Management processes.

The 3 Capacity Management Handbooks are:

• 1. the updated Capacity Model Handbook
• 2. the new Capacity Supply Handbook
• 3. the updated Annual Timetable Planning Handbook

All Handbooks are available in our download section.

Role of the updated Capacity Model Handbook in Advance Planning

A key part of advance capacity planning initiatives is the Capacity Model. This is also described in the Timetable Redesign (TTR) for Smart Capacity Management and the upcoming Capacity Regulation.

The Capacity Model is published 1.5 years before the start of each timetable period and is based on forecasts provided by Infrastructure Managers and input from business partners, such as Railway Undertakings and other Applicants.

The updated Capacity Model Handbook introduces a new method for sharing information about potential future needs with Infrastructure Managers through Capacity Needs Announcements (CNAs).

The new Capacity Supply Handbook

Following the Capacity Model, the next step in the advance capacity planning phase is the Capacity Supply.

The Capacity Supply provides 365-day time-space diagram-based overview of future capacity, as well as visualising products such as pre-planned paths for annual proposes prepared by Infrastructure Managers.

The utilisation of internationally harmonised Capacity Supply products ensures that Applicants can…

• make informed decisions regarding path requests, based on accurate information of available capacity and
• gain information on possible traffic limitations during temporary capacity restriction periods.

The processes outlined in the first ever created Capacity Supply Handbook aims to enhance the efficiency and reliability of railway operations by offering a structured and transparent framework for managing capacity across national and international networks.

In its first iteration, the Capacity Supply Handbook focuses on the initial creation of Capacity Supplies.

The updated Annual Timetable Planning Handbook

To fulfil the overall goal of the Capacity Management Handbooks, namely, to establish a unified foundation for European Capacity Management, the recently approved Annual Timetable Handbook contains the description for designing the annual timetable.

This involves a yearly (re)evaluation of the market needs and capacity availability.

Invitation to explore the Capacity Management Handbooks

As we move forward with these redesigned Capacity Management approaches, we invite all industry participants to engage with the new processes, explore pilot possibilities, and thereby contribute to their continuous improvement.