RailNetEurope (RNE) began preparing for its potential new role as “Network Coordinator” under the updated Capacity Regulation (see article) by setting up a dedicated project.

Following the approval earlier this year to start with this project, RNE Members and Joint Office experts have begun working within various task forces to ensure RNE’s readiness for this important responsibility.

Initial Focus Areas to prepare for Network Coordinator

During this preparatory phase, efforts are concentrated on the following two key aspects:

Portfolio of Future Network Coordinator & Organisational Consideration

This activity aims to align RNE’s portfolio with the proposed responsibilities of the Network Coordinator, as outlined in the draft Regulation.

With several tasks suggested for the Network Coordinator already being partially undertaken by RNE, our analysis focuses on identifying new or additional tasks envisaged by the draft Regulation and the prerequisites necessary to fulfil these expanded duties.

The outcome will enable RNE to comprehensively and efficiently manage all responsibilities associated with the Network Coordinator role if and as required.

European Frameworks

The European frameworks for capacity management, traffic management, and performance review will play a pivotal role in enhancing harmonisation and cooperation across the Single European Rail Area.

The proposed content of these frameworks draws significantly from existing RNE Handbooks, guidelines, and tools. To prepare for the drafting of these frameworks, RNE is currently conducting a thorough comparison between the proposed content, as described in the draft regulation, and existing RNE documents.

This comparison aims to identify any relevant deviations or gaps that need to be addressed.

Project Approach

The project approach can be summarised as follows:

• 1. Flexible planning approach: Given the ongoing legislative process, the scope and scheduling of the project will be adjusted as necessary. While detailed planning is developed for immediate activities, medium and long-term planning remains flexible, with further precision added over time.
• 2. Wide and stepwise involvement of stakeholders: RNE aims to involve a wide range of stakeholders to capture diverse perspectives. They will be engaged progressively as the work of the task forces matures, ensuring that their input is both effective and timely.
• 3. Comprehensive scope: The project will address all aspects that could potentially impact RNE in its role as Network Coordinator. This includes not only the implementation of the Regulation but also operational considerations such as organisational structure, administrative processes, resource allocation (both human and financial), IT tools etc.

RNE will provide regular updates on the progress of these activities and will actively seek the stakeholder opinion as soon as preliminary findings are sufficiently mature to serve as a basis for discussion.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the project managers.