A train path is the infrastructure capacity needed to run a train between two places over a given period. It is the basic unit in which infrastructure managers allocate capacity to railway undertakings and other applicants.
The definition comes from the Recast Directive (2012/34/EU). A path specifies the route and times of a train and is built for the train parameters in the request, such as length, weight and speed profile.
Regular train paths are planned in the annual timetable. The timetable changes at midnight on the second Saturday in December, and RailNetEurope’s common calendar sets the deadline for requests eight months earlier.
Capacity requested after that deadline is allocated as late or ad hoc paths. An ad hoc path is built on remaining capacity at short notice, often for freight traffic that cannot be planned a year ahead.
Conflicts and congestion
Under the current rules of the directive, the infrastructure manager coordinates conflicting requests with the applicants to find alternatives. If coordination fails and the line cannot meet demand, the infrastructure manager must declare it congested and apply priority criteria.
A declaration of congestion obliges the infrastructure manager to complete a capacity analysis within six months. A capacity-enhancement plan with measures and a timetable for relieving the bottleneck must follow within six months of the analysis.
Regulation (EU) 2026/1184, adopted on 20 May 2026, moves capacity management towards multiannual planning and closer cross-border coordination. The first timetable built under the new system is expected to take effect in December 2030.
Without a path, a train cannot run on the network, whatever rolling stock and staff an operator has. Each path used is also the basis for the track access charges the operator pays.