Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area (recast) (Text with EEA relevance)

Article 40U.K.Cooperation in the allocation of infrastructure capacity on more than one network

1.Member States shall ensure that infrastructure managers cooperate to enable the efficient creation and allocation of infrastructure capacity which crosses more than one network of the rail system within the Union, including under framework agreements referred to in Article 42. Infrastructure managers shall establish appropriate procedures, subject to the rules set out in this Directive, and organise train paths crossing more than one network accordingly.

Member States shall ensure that representatives of infrastructure managers whose allocation decisions have an impact on other infrastructure managers associate in order to coordinate the allocation of or to allocate all relevant infrastructure capacity at an international level, without prejudice to the specific rules contained in Union law on rail freight oriented networks. The principles and criteria for capacity allocation established under this cooperation shall be published by infrastructure managers in their network statement in accordance with paragraph 3 of Annex IV. Appropriate representatives of infrastructure managers from third countries may be associated with these procedures.

2.The Commission shall be informed of and invited to attend as an observer at the main meetings at which common principles and practices for the allocation of infrastructure are developed. Regulatory bodies shall receive sufficient information about the development of common principles and practices for the allocation of infrastructure and from IT-based allocation systems, to allow them to perform their regulatory supervision in accordance with Article 56.

3.At any meeting or other activity undertaken to permit the allocation of infrastructure capacity for trans-network train services, decisions shall only be taken by representatives of infrastructure managers.

4.The participants in the cooperation referred to paragraph 1 shall ensure that its membership, methods of operation and all relevant criteria which are used for assessing and allocating infrastructure capacity be made publicly available.

5.Working in cooperation, as referred to in paragraph 1, infrastructure managers shall assess the need for, and may where necessary propose and organise international train paths to facilitate the operation of freight trains which are subject to an ad hoc request as referred to in Article 48.

Such prearranged international train paths shall be made available to applicants through any of the participating infrastructure managers.