PCS PROCESS GUIDELINES 2022 Deadlines & Milestones For path requests for the running timetable 2022 and the annual timetable 2023

Content

Important milestones in TT2022

Timetable start date (X): 2021-12-12
Timetable end date: 2022-12-10

Initial path requests for the next annual timetable

PaP publication (X-11): 2022-01-10
Last day for correction of detected errors in PaPs (X-10.5): 2022-01-24
Path Request deadline for annual TT (X-8): 2022-04-11
Last day on which C-OSS can make pre-booking on PaPs (X-7.5): 2022-04-25
Publication of the International Draft Timetable (X-5): 2022-07-04
Deadline for final answers to customers; Publication of Final Offer (X-3.5): 2022-08-22

Late path requests for the next annual timetable

First day for submission of Late path requests: 2022-04-12
First day for answers of Late path requests: 2022-08-23
Last day for submission of Late path requests for timetable 2023 (X-2): 2022-10-17
Last day for answers of Late path requests: 2022-11-14

Ad-hoc path requests during the running timetable 2022

First day for ad-hoc requests for TT2022: 2021-10-19

Ad-hoc path requests during the running timetable 2023

First day for ad-hoc requests for TT2023: 2022-10-18

All times mentioned in this document refer to the ‘Central European Time’ (CET).

New Path Request deadlines & milestones (fully harmonized process)

PaP Publication

10/01/2022: Finalisation/publication of Pre-arranged Paths (PaPs) and Catalogue Paths

Feasibility Study

17/01/2022 at 23:59 (the limit for placing feasibility study requests for timetable 2023. Automatically switching all dossiers which are in Harmonization Conference to Feasibility Elaboration Conference – applicant's lights must be green or at least yellow.

18/01/2022 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 12/12/2021 until 20/01/2022 and it is switched on again after 21/01/2022.

14/03/2022 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 14/03/2022 at 23.59 h, the IM/AB has to switch this dossier manually from Feasibility Elaboration Conference to Feasibility Study Elaboration before 14/03/2022 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 14/03/2022 and 18/03/2022, 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

11/04/2022, 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 11/04/2022. 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.

12/04/2022, 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 19/10/2022.

Pre-booking and Path Elaboration

12/04/2022: 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 12/04/2022 and 25/04/2022, 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 13/06/2022: 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 13th to 16th June 2022.

Draft Offer

04/07/2022, 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 04/07/2022 to 05/08/2022 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 05/07/2022 to 05/08/2022: applicants may make observations in the available field.

05/08/2022, 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 04/07/2022 (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 06/08/2022 and 22/08/2022, 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 05/08/2022 till 10/12/2022 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 22/08/2022, 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 22/08/2022 to 10/12/2022 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’ lights on red will be switched automatically to the Closed phase from 22/08/2022 to 10/12/2022 at 03:00.

Other deadlines

17/10/2022 at 23:59: The latest time to place late path requests for the annual timetable 2023.

11/12/2022: Start of timetable 2023

18/10/2021 at 00:01: the first moment for placing ad-hoc path requests for the running timetable 2022. 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).