Search
Search
START TYPING AND PRESS ENTER TO SEARCH

Traffic Management

Incident Management

About

Back to Traffic Management

Incidents on the railway infrastructure can affect the railway system´s operation heavily. Most incidents are handled at the regional or national level by the responsible Infrastructure Manager. If trains on networks of neighbouring infrastructure managers are affected, the traffic management of neighbouring infrastructure managers is informed directly and involved in the incident management process once the affected trains could cause an impact on traffic management.

If more than 50% of trains on the affected section need an operational treatment, and altogether this lasts for three or more days, it needs high-level management attention within Infrastructure Managers, Allocation Bodies and Railway Undertakings.

Flowchart illustrating the classification of railway incidents and the application of the International Contingency Management (ICM) processes based on the estimated duration and impact on international traffic. The flowchart starts with an "Incident" and splits into two main paths: Duration < 3 days (regardless of low or high impact on international traffic): Classified as an International Incident Application of ICM processes is optional, depending on the agreement of involved parties. Duration ≥ 3 days: If ≥ 50% of trains on the affected section operating on a single network need operational treatment OR If < 50% of trains operating on more than one network need operational treatment: → Classified as Network Disruption (an International Disruption) → ICM processes are to be applied. If ≥ 50% of trains on the affected section operating on more than one network need operational treatment: → Classified as Multi-network Disruption (an International Disruption) → ICM processes are to be applied. Side labels indicate the criteria: “Estimated likely duration” and “Estimated likely impact on international traffic.” Bottom section shows “Type” and “ICM Handbook” guidance based on the scenario.

International Contingency Management

To coordinate incidents and disruptions, the International Contingency Management (ICM) Handbook was introduced in 2018, with revisions in 2021 and 2024 reflecting the gained experiences.

The handbook describes standards that allow the efficient handling of disruptions to achieve the continuation of traffic flows at the highest possible level. RFCs play a significant role as facilitators in the communication process, helping to minimise the impact of disruptions.

ICM Handbook

Annexes to the ICM Handbook