Drafts of the Scheme
No drafts in developmentGeneral information about the Capacity Allocation Scheme
Instrastructure capacity is allocated fairly, without discrimination and with due regard to the protection of confidential information, as well as providing effective usage of infrastrructure. Infrastructure capacity is allocated for the period of 12 months from the beginning of the annual working timetable. Infrastructure allocation procedures and related deadlines are laid down in Article 27 of the Railway Law, Capacity Regulations and the Capacity Allocation Scheme as well as in the Commission Decision.
Annual infrastructure capacity is allocated based on the infrastructure capacity applications submitted to LRN, which is responsible for capacity allocation, by applicants until 15 May via official means of communication. Capacity applications are submitted not earlier than 12 months before the annual working timetable enters into force using a seperate form for every market segment provided by Annex 1 to the Capacity Allocation Scheme. Infrastructure capacity applications for international freight transportation within infrastructure sections included in RFC NSB, is drafted using PCS supported by RNE. The list of railway transportation market segments is provided in Annex 5 to the Charging Scheme.
If approximate train dispatching or arrival times are not indicated in the infrastructure capacity applications, LRN satisfies requests by allocating the indicated number of train paths on a daily average basis. LRN sets the specific train dispatching and arrival times for these applications during the train path allocation process.
Applicants have an opportunity to submit infrastructure capacity applications after the submission deadline. In this case applicants can apply for the available part of the infrastructure capacity that hasn’t been requested by the applications who submitted their capacity applications within the above mentioned deadlines.
Infrastructure capacity applications can be submitted in Latvian or English.
Applicants have the right to submit modifications to the infrastructure capacity applications and they are considered as follows:
(a) modifications of capacity applications may be submitted once, but not later than two months before the deadline for the publication of the project of the annual working timetable;
(b) modifications of capacity applications submitted after the deadline referred to in (a), but not later than two months before the start of the annual working timetable for the next period, are considered and can be satisfied, if they do not affect the interests of other applicants and concern only one route of a railway line, without affecting routes of other railway lines;
(c) modifications of capacity applications submitted less than two months before the annual working timetable enters into force are considered as applications for the modification of the annual working timetable.
If the requested infrastructure capacity is bigger than the available infrastructure capacity and the infrastructure capacity applications can not be satisfied without coordination, LRN through coordination of infrastructure capacity applications can offer applicants infrastructure capacity that is different from the requested by asking applicants to modify their applications accordingly.
If applicants do not agree to modify their infrastructure capacity applications, then the dispute settlement procedure can be applied.
LRN makes the decision on infrastructure capacity allocation and approves the infrastructure capacity allocation plan for the next capacity allocation period by 15 July.
A draft of the annual working timetable is drawn by 15 October and LRN announces consultations about it with all the persons who have requested the infrastructure capacity and other stakeholders.
The annual working timetable enters into force on the second Sunday of December.
Applicants have the right to submit an application for the modification of the annual working timetable (for example, using another route or expanding an existing route, changing stopping place and time), if it refers to the trains that are already included in the annual working timetable.
If amendments in the annual train timetable are necessary, they enter into force on:
(a) the last Sunday of March - due to the transition to the summer time;
(b) the second Sunday of June – due to regional passenger traffic seasonality;
(c) the last Sunday of October –due to the transition to the winter time;
(d) on another date – if necessity arises.
An applicant submits a capacity application for non-scheduled trains electronically by email: [email protected] or [email protected], sending a copy to [email protected].
A capacity application for non-scheduled trains is submitted in accordance with the form provided in Annex 1 to the Capacity Allocation Scheme.
A capacity application for non-scheduled trains is supplemented with:
(a) documents confirming the priority of the railway service, where the railway infrastructure capacity is required for the provision of rail transport services, which, in accordance with the third part of Article 27 of the Railway Law, have priority in the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity;
(b) if the applicant is not a railway undertaking – documents confirming that the railway undertaking designated by the applicant agrees to carry out the transportation.
LRN considers capacity applications for non-scheduled trains and within five working days provides an answer about the possibility of allocating the infrastructure capacity using official electronic means of communication.
If the requested railway infrastructure capacity for non-scheduled trains affects the interests of other applicants, then the decision on the allocation of infrastructure capacity is taken after the coordination procedure. In this case, LRN as soon as possible, but not later than fourteen working days, decides on the allocation of infrastructure capacity to non-scheduled trains.
In the operational capacity allocation plan LRN assigns train paths to a specific railway undertaking within routes of railway lines according to the approved infrastructure capacity allocation plan and the annual working timetable.
If during capacity allocation procedure specific train paths have not been assigned, railway undertakings electronically submit LRN proposals (if any) about train path allocation to email [email protected] using the form provided in Annex 4 to the Capacity Allocation Scheme, indicating train path routes according to the list of the routes of railway lines referred to in Annex 3 to the Capacity Allocation Scheme.
In the case of temporary insufficiency of the infrastructure capacity, special activities can be executed, if the proposals about train path allocation exceed infrastructure section capacity.
In the case of temporary insufficiency of the infrastructure capacity, the part of of the infrastructure capacity of those railway undertakings that do not have trains ready for departure is used for dispatching those railway undertaking’s trains that are ready for dispatching and will be accepted at the final destination.
In the case of extremely overloaded infrastructure, LRN demands the cancellation of that pre-assigned train path that has been used less than 5 calendar days for at least a month (or according to the threshold quota referred to in the Infrastructure Network Statement),unless it has happened due to reasons which are not of an economic nature and which could not have been affected by the applicant.
LRN establishes non-use of train paths according to the following criteria:
(a) due to the fault of applicants:
- railway undertakings have not informed LRN timely (four and more hours before the start of train path assignment planning period) or at all about the changes in train dispatching (the number of unused train paths);
- the assignment of train paths is not planned because the consignee refuses to accept wagons for unloading or because the unloading does not take place in the agreed amount (the number of trains not dispatched);
- trains that have been set in the capacity application to be dispatched according to the train schedule do not use the assigned train paths at least five times a month (or according to the threshold quota specified in the Infrastructure Network Statement) unless it has happened due to reasons which are not of an economic nature and which could not have been affected by the applicant;
(b) due to the fault of the infrastructure manager:
- the extension of the technological breaks (“windows”) (number of trains not dispatched);
- infrastructure maintenance is not provided to the degree set in the Infrastructure Network Statement (number of trains cancelled).