Important milestones in TT2021
- Timetable start date (X): 2020-12-13
- Timetable end date: 2021-12-11
Initial path requests for the next annual timetable
- PaP publication (X-11): 2020-01-13
- Last day for correction of detected errors in PaPs (X-10.5): 2020-01-27
- Path Request deadline for annual TT (X-8): 2020-04-14
- Last day on which C-OSS can make pre-booking on PaPs (X-7.5): 2020-04-27
- Publication of the International Draft Timetable (X-5): 2020-07-06
- Deadline for final answers to customers; Publication of Final Offer (X-3.5): 2020-08-24
Late path requests for the next annual timetable
- First day for submission of Late path requests: 2020-04-15
- First day for answers of Late path requests: 2020-08-25
- Last day for submission of Late path requests for timetable 2020 (X-2): 2020-10-19
- Last day for answers of Late path requests: 2020-11-16
Ad-hoc path requests during the running timetable 2020
- First day for ad-hoc requests for TT2020: 2019-10-22
All times mentioned in this document refer to the ‘Central European Time’ (CET).
New Path Request deadlines & milestones (fully harmonized process)
PaP Publication
13/01/2020: Finalisation/publication of Pre-arranged Paths (PaPs) and Catalogue Paths
Feasibility Study
20/01/2020 at 23:59 (the limit for placing feasibility study requests for timetable 2021): Automatically switching all dossiers which are in Harmonization Conference to Feasibility Elaboration Conference – applicants lights must be green or at least yellow.
21/01/2020 at 23:59: Automatically switching all dossiers that are in Harmonization Conference to Harmonisation, if at least one applicant’s light is red of or blue.
- 8/15 days of no activity: 8 days of no activity after the last save or 15 days of no activity in the dossier
- Note: The deadline of 8/15 days of no activity causing an automatic transfer from Harmonization Conference to Harmonization is switched off from 09/12/2019 until 22/01/2020 and it is switched on again after 22/01/2020.
16/03/2020 at 23.59 (the limit for answering path study requests): Automatically switching all dossiers which are in Feasibility Elaboration Conference to Harmonization – IMs/ABs lights may be green, yellow, red or blue (IMPORTANT: the Feasibility Study Result will be treated in the system as ‘acknowledged’).
In case a feasibility study cannot be completed by the IM/AB in due time, and the dossier should not yet automatically be switched to Harmonisation on 16/03/2020 at 23.59 h, the IM/AB has to switch this dossier manually from Feasibility Elaboration Conference to Feasibility Study Elaboration before 16/03/2020 at 23.59 h. Afterward, the switching from Feasibility Study Elaboration to Feasibility Study Result has to be done manually by the coordinating IM/AB.
Between 16/03/2020 and 20/03/2020, every night at 23:59: Automatically switching all dossiers which are in Feasibility Study Result to Harmonisation (IMPORTANT: the Feasibility Study Result will be treated in the system as ‘acknowledged’)
Harmonization, submitting Path Request
14/04/2020, at 03:00 and 23:00: All dossiers in the Harmonisation phase with all applicants (path related) lights green will be switched automatically to the Path Request phase.
If there are any remaining dossiers in the Harmonization Conference, they will be transferred to Harmonisation at 04:00 on 14/04/2020. Note: for the dossiers that have already ‘acknowledged’ the Feasibility Study Result only. With this approach, the leading Applicants will be able to check the dossiers once more in the Harmonisation phase for the Path Request, and the dossiers will be considered on automatic promotion at 23:00 h on the same day. Dossiers that have just started the Harmonization Conference will be kept in the Harmonization Conference.
The leading applicant must ensure that all participants agree with the request. This process is controlled by making sure that all ‘lights’ are green. Unless all lights are green it will not be possible to switch the dossier automatically to path request.
15/04/2020, at 00:01: All dossiers submitted after this deadline will be treated by the IMs/ABs as late path requests. The system checks regularly (every night) the status of acceptance indicators of the dossiers and automatically transfers those dossiers where all applicants’ lights are green at 23:00 h to late path request until 19/10/2020.
Pre-booking and Path Elaboration
15/04/2020: After having checked the consistency of the application, the coordinating IM/AB changes the dossier status from Path Request to Path Elaboration mode for requests placed on time. This step is not required for Corridor OSS (dossier is already in the Pre-booking phase).
Between 15/04/2020 and 27/04/2020, Corridor OSSs of the Rail Freight Corridors will pre-book Pre-arranged paths (PaPs) or will pre-book accepted alternative PaPs.
RNE Technical Meeting
By 08/06/2020: In order to fulfill the harmonization process during the RNE Technical Meeting, all IMs/ABs have to ensure the availability of the constructed/designed train path. RNE Technical meeting will be held from 15th to 18th June 2020.
Draft Offer
06/07/2020, at 03:00 and 23.00: All agreed and harmonized dossiers with all green lights will be switched automatically from Path Elaboration via Draft Timetable to Observations. After this deadline, the coordinating IM/AB/RFC may switch dossiers with all green lights manually. All Applicant's lights changes to blue in Observations.
From 06/07/2020 to 07/08/2020 the system will check every night at 23.00 if there are any dossiers with all IMs/ABs lights on green and will switch them directly from Path Elaboration to Observations.
Observations & Post-Processing
From 07/07/2020 to 07/08/2020: applicants may make observations in the available field.
07/08/2020, at 23:00: At the end of this phase, all dossiers will be switched automatically from Observations to Post-Processing phase on the deadline, independently of the colors of the lights of the applicants (blue, green, yellow or red). Important: Only dossiers that have been switched to Observations until 06/07/2020 (automatically or manually) will be automatically switched to Post-Processing. The dossier can also be switched manually to Post-Processing by the leading applicant before the deadline. The IM/AB/RFC lights will change to blue in Post-Processing.
Final Offer
Between 08/08/2020 and 24/08/2020, IMs/ABs/RFCs prepares the final answers to the customers. In this phase, IMs/ABs/RFCs may optimize the train path. Once all IMs/ABs/RFCs have finished their final adjustments, the dossier is moved to the Final Offer mode. From 08/08/2020 till 12/12/2020 at 03:00, the system checks the status of acceptance indicators of the dossiers and transfers those dossiers that have all IMs/ABs/RFCs light on green automatically to Final Offer phase.
In case of a partial offer, the system checks the status of acceptance indicators of the dossiers and transfers those dossiers that have for the particular IM/AB/RFC light on green automatically to Final Offer.
Starting on 25/08/2020, all involved applicants accept the Final offer by setting all lights on green. Please keep in mind the national answering times issued in the IMs’ Network Statements. In order to keep the dossier ‘alive’ after the construction of the annual timetable once the final offer has been accepted, all dossiers with all applicants’ lights green will be switched automatically in the next phase Active Timetable from 25/08/2020 to 12/12/2020 at 03:00.
Of course, applicants have the possibility either to accept or to refuse (with reds lights) the Final offer. After acceptance of the offer, the formal acceptance is filed in the PCS archive.
All dossiers with all applicants’ light on red will be switched automatically to the Closed phase from 25/08/2020 to 12/12/2020 at 03:00.
Other deadlines
19/10/2020 at 23:59: The latest time to place late path requests for the annual timetable 2019.
13/12/2020: Start of timetable 2021
20/10/2020 at 00:01: the first moment for placing ad-hoc path requests for the running timetable 2020. The system regularly checks (every night) the status of acceptance indicators of the dossiers and automatically transfers those dossiers where all applicants’ lights are green at 23:00 to ad-hoc path requests.
Further notes and automatic promotions to Late and Ad-hoc path request process
Path elaboration phase
Late path requests process: the leading IM/AB has to switch manually dossiers with all green lights from IMs/ABs from Path Elaboration to Late Request Offer. The system prevents IMs to give a Late Request Offer until the deadline for Final Offers for regular Path Requests is passed.
Ad hoc path requests: dossiers with all IM/AB lights green will be switched automatically (every night at 23:00 h) to Ad-hoc Request Offer. In the case of an ad-hoc pre-accepted offer, the dossiers will be moved automatically toward to Active Timetable.
Acceptance phase
Late & ad-hoc path requests: If the applicants do not have any remarks regarding the path offer – all lights are on green - the leading applicant may switch the dossier directly to Active Timetable. By doing so, two phases – Post-processing and Final offer – will be skipped. It is important that the system does not take any automatic actions in this phase. The manual promotion to Post-processing will be possible only if applicants’ lights are at least green, yellow or red.
Post-processing phase
Late & ad-hoc path requests: the system checks regularly at 23:00 if there are any dossiers with all IMs/ABs lights on green and will switch them directly to Final Offer.
Final offer phase
Late & ad-hoc path requests: if a dossier is moved from the Acceptance phase directly to Active Timetable, the Final offer is just a milestone. If the dossier has been moved from Post-Processing to this phase, the system regularly checks (every night at 23:00) the status of the applicants’ lights. Dossiers with all applicants’ lights green will be switched automatically in the next phase Active Timetable.
Partial harmonization (New Path Request)
Path elaboration phase
If the deadline for draft offers is reached and not all IMs have set their acceptance indicators to green, an IM being forced by national legislation to send the offer may start the partial offer process.
By doing so, the dossier is split in that way that each Applicant/IM pair could be in a different phase of the process (valid for all path request processes). Please note that partial offer is not supported for dossiers that are containing PaPs.
Observations phase
Dossiers received in partial offer mode have to be switched manually by Applicants to post-processing independently for each Applicant/IM pair.
Post-processing phase
Dossiers already received in partial offer mode have to be switched manually by IMs to Final offer independently for each Applicant/IM pair.
If the deadline for final offers is reached and not all IMs have set their acceptance indicators to green, an IM being forced by national legislation to send the offer may start the partial offer process.
By doing so, a dossier is split in that way that each Applicant/IM pair could be in a different phase of the process (valid for all path request processes).
Final offer phase
Dossiers in a Partial offer may only be switched harmonized to an Active timetable (except ad hoc partially harmonized process).
Dossier with all green lights could be switched manually to the Active timetable or automatically too (there are valid the same conditions as in the harmonized processes for automatic promotion).
Active timetable phase
Dossiers switched harmonized to Active timetable will follow the normal PCS processes.
