European Parliament approves rail capacity coordination rules

The European Network of Infrastructure Managers (ENIM) gains more coordinating powers; anyone who fails to honour allocated train paths and seriously disrupts the network pays €1 to 8 per km, up to double for major impact. Some provisions apply only between 2028 and 2031.

On 19 May 2026 the European Parliament gave its final approval to the EU regulation on rail capacity planning and allocation; governments had agreed in April, negotiators had struck the deal in November 2025, and the Transport Committee endorsed it on 27 Jan 2026 by 35 votes to 5. Capacity planning is split into three stages (strategic planning every five years, annual timetable construction and ongoing adjustment); national infrastructure managers remain responsible, but the European Network of Infrastructure Managers (ENIM) gains more powers over cross-border train paths and performance benchmarking, and railway undertakings get an advisory platform. Anyone failing to honour allocated train paths in a way that seriously disrupts the network pays €1–8 per km, up to double for major impact; the rules enter into force the day after publication in the Official Journal, with some provisions applying between 2028 and 2031. (LOK Report, 19 May 2026; earlier reports 19 Nov 2025 and 27 Jan 2026) Update (11 Jun 2026): EU capacity regulation 2026/1184 has entered into force, starting a step-by-step reorganisation of capacity planning on Europe's rail networks; national governments and infrastructure managers now have to implement it gradually. For freight it introduces rolling planning, which shortens the lead time of the annual timetable, and binding reserves of network capacity that freight operators can use at short notice; the association Die Güterbahnen welcomes easier cross-border traffic but warns that the reserved capacity could be misused as a buffer for construction works and insists the regulation must not be read as a substitute for network expansion (LOK Report, 12 Jun 2026).