DEADLINES & MILESTONES (fully harmonized process)
08/01/2018: Finalisation/publication of Pre-arranged Paths (PaPs) and Catalogue Paths
15/01/2018 at 23:59 (limit for placing feasibility study requests for timetable 2019):
Automatically switching all dossiers which are in Harmonization Conference to Feasibility Elaboration Conference – applicants lights must be green or at least yellow.
16/01/2018 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 09/12/2017 until 17/01/2018 and it is switched on again after 17/01/2018.
12/03/2018 at 23.59 (limit for answering path study requests): Automatically switching all dossiers which are in Feasibility Study 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 12/03/2018 at 23.59 h, the IM/AB has to switch this dossier manually from Feasibility Study Elaboration Conference to Feasibility Study Elaboration before 12/03/2018 at 23.59 h. Afterwards, the switching from Feasibility Study Elaboration to Feasibility Study Result has to be done manually by the coordinating IM/AB.
Between 12/03/2018 and 16/03/2018, 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’).
09/04/2018, at 03:00 and 23:00: All dossiers in the Harmonisation phase with all applicants (path related) lights on 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 09/04/2018. 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 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.
10/04/2018, 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 the acceptance indicators of the dossiers and automatically transfers those dossiers where all applicants’ lights are on green at 23:00 h to late path request until 15/10/2018.
10/04/2018: 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.
Between 10/04/2018 and 23/04/2018, Corridor OSSs of the Rail Freight Corridors will pre-book Pre-arranged paths (PaPs) and will pre-book accepted alternative PaPs.
By 15/06/2018: In order to fulfil the harmonization process during the RNE Technical Meeting, all IMs/ABs have to ensure the availability of the constructed/designed train path.
02/07/2018, 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 lights of the applicants will be changed to blue in Observations.
From 02/07/2018 to 03/08/2018 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.
From 03/07/2018 to 03/08/2018: applicants may make observations in the available field.
03/08/2018, at 23:00: At the end of this phase, all dossiers will be switched automatically from Observations to Post-Processing mode on the deadline, independently of the colours of the lights of the applicants (blue, green, yellow or red). Important: Only dossiers which have been switched to Observations until 2/07/2018 (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.
Between 04/08/2018 and 20/08/2018, 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 04/08/2018 till 28/09/2018 at 03:00, the system checks the status of the 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 partial offer the system checks the status of the 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 21/08/2018, 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 on green will be switched automatically in the next phase Active Timetable from 21/08/2018 to 28/09/2018 at 02:00.
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.
15/10/2018 at 23:59: Latest time to place late path requests for the annual timetable 2019.
09/12/2018: Start of timetable 2019
16/10/2018 at 00:01: First moment for placing ad-hoc path requests for the running timetable 2019. The system regularly checks (every night) the status of the acceptance indicators of the dossiers and automatically transfers those dossiers where all applicants’ lights are on green at 23:00 to ad-hoc path request.
REMARK
All times mentioned in this document refer to the ‘Central European Time’ (CET).
Further notes and automatic promotions to Late path & 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 on green will be switched automatically (every night at 23:00 h) to Ad hoc Request Offer.
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 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 on green will be switched automatically in the next phase Active Timetable.
Partial harmonization
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, dossier is split in that way that each Applicant/IM pair could be in a different phase of process (valid for all path request processes).
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, dossier is split in that way that each Applicant/IM pair could be in different phase of process (valid for all path request processes).
Final offer phase
Dossiers in Partial offer may only be switched harmonized to 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 like in the harmonized processes for automatic promotion).
Active timetable phase
Dossiers switched harmonized to Active timetable will follow the normal PCS processes.
