Working Group Interoperability & ERTMS

The main goal of this Working Group is to inform the stakeholders about the real dates of ETCS implementation taking into account the national implementation plans in order to contribute to an harmonization of the ETCS deployment.

A special attention will be devoted to the technology used in the different countries of the corridor and the state of play for decommissioning the class B systems.

This Working Group can also be used to inform the RAG members regarding the possible financial schemes and funding options.

Working Group Time Table/Corridor One-Stop-Shop  

The Working Group Time Table/Corridor One-Stop-Shop (WG TT/C-OSS) is acting as a joint body of the 8 Infrastructure Managers involved in Rail Freight Corridor North Sea – Baltic, lead by the C-OSS manager. 

Based on the knowledge of national developments in rail freight transport and deep understanding of the market needs to be provided from the Working Group members, the Working Group can derive essential insights for capacity-related issues and further developments of the corridor.

It has become an effective part of the working method on the corridor to have several periodic meetings each year between the stakeholders involved. 

The annual working plan covers conceptual topics, e.g., further developments of the corridor products as well as the improvement and harmonization of processes and the revision of the Book IV’s capacity chapters. With its specialist know-how the corridor benefit from the mutual exchange of ideas and thus create added-value for the applicants along the corridor.

Working Group Performance Management & Operations

The Working Group Performance Management & Operations (WG PM&O) consists of representatives from all the involved infrastructure managers along the Corridor. Through their analytical expertise, they are dedicated to improving the punctuality of rail freight traffic, to the benefit of the Corridor and all stakeholders.

The main aim of the WG is to monitor the performance of rail freight traffic along the Corridor. This involves the total amount of trains, the number of trains at the borders and the punctuality of the trains running on the Corridor.

Through monitoring these three KPIs they identify problems, that are then examined and analysed to detect the causes. The next step is that individual members address any issues pertaining to their own IM and ensure that necessary measures are taken for improving them. If the issues are cross border the involved IMs and other stakeholders work together to find a solution.

Furthermore, discussions are held regularly with the railway undertakings with the aim to involve them in the process where needed and to keep them informed of any important matters e.g. punctuality regarding specific trains.

The WG PM&O working holds several periodic meetings each year and the yearly work plan covers numerous topics e.g. creating a monthly punctuality report on the Corridor in cooperation with RailNetEurope, the status of any improvement measures of poor punctuality performance and the complex business involving the accurate counting of amount of trains at borders and other border issues, e.g. linking of trains. The WG also publishes each year a performance report.

Working Group Infrastructure

Infrastructure working group is formed from representatives of all RFC North Sea-Baltic member countries forming a unison technical representation of the corridor infrastructure.

Working group is responsible for assembling and harmonizing technical data from every infrastructure manger, aligning operational requirements, and providing details on local infrastructure projects which have a direct impact on capacity and quality of the service through the corridor.

Onboarding of new member countries with recent corridor expansion has been the one of the main tasks at focus of the working group.

Some of the key activities include periodic reviews and technical assurance of the Implementation Plan and continuously providing information or administrating the Customer Information Platform (CIP).

Working Group Legal Issues

SLI is formed by lawyers mainly representing all Members of the Rail Freight Corridor North Sea – Baltic Corridor.

Legal advice according to the request and tasks from RFC North Sea – Baltic Project Management Office, Management Board, working groups and other subgroups of the Rail Freight Corridor North Sea – Baltic Corridor.

Legal checking of all documents related to the Rail Freight Corridor North Sea – Baltic Corridor activities.

Ad hoc meetings or written procedures for the preparation of SLI opinions concerning main tasks.

Subgroup Temporary Capacity Restrictions

 This working group is composed with TCR specialists of each IM.
We meet at least once a year and do a lot of information exchange by e-mail and by Terams-meetings.

Our goals:

Promote and initiate coordination of planned works between neighboring IMs on our Corridor lines with the aim to minimize the impact for freight traffic to keep traffic going
Develop and initiate tools to communicate to RUs about planned TCRs and their impact on traffic on our Corridor lines.
Facilitate IMs in their task to implement the Commission delegated decision (EU) 2017/2075    (Annex VII)
Help RailNet Europe to develop processes and IT Tools to coordinate and communicate TCRs.

Our products:
- Collection of information about planned TCRs for the next years on the Corridor lines. The information is available in Excel-overviews on the Corridor’s website
- Collection of information about planned TCRs with major impact for RUs. The information is available in detailed impact sheets on the Corridor’s website.

Working Group Transport Market Study

Taskforce International Contingency Management

Working Group Transport Market Study

Subgroup Temporary Capacity Restrictions

This working group is composed with TCR specialists of each IM.
We meet at least once a year and do a lot of information exchange by e-mail and by Terams-meetings.

Our goals:

Promote and initiate coordination of planned works between neighboring IMs on our Corridor lines with the aim to minimize the impact for freight traffic to keep traffic going
Develop and initiate tools to communicate to RUs about planned TCRs and their impact on traffic on our Corridor lines.
Facilitate IMs in their task to implement the Commission delegated decision (EU) 2017/2075    (Annex VII)
Help RailNet Europe to develop processes and IT Tools to coordinate and communicate TCRs

Our products:
Collection of information about planned TCRs for the next years on the Corridor lines. The information is available in Excel-overviews on the Corridor’s website
Collection of information about planned TCRs with major impact for RUs. The information is available in detailed impact sheets on the Corridor’s website

Taskforce International Contingency Management