Databases
Telematic Applications for Freight and Passengers Register of InfrastructureTelematic Applications for Freight and Passengers
Objectives
Telematics applications ensure constant interfaces and dialogue between the train and the infrastructure at all stages of the process. The interchange of information between the Infrastructure Manager (IM) and the railway undertaking (RU) is essential to make telematics successful. Telematics are composed of two systems and regulations: 1) Regulation (EU) 2016/527 on the Technical Specification for Interoperability relating to ‘telematics applications for passenger services’ (TSI TAP) which aims at improving communications among railway actors and towards the passengers; 2) Regulation (EU) 1305/2014 on the Technical Specifications for Interoperability relating to the Telematic Applications for Freight subsystem of the rail system (TSI TAF) which aims at improving communications among railway actors related to freight transport.
EIM in action
- EIM and its members are involved in several telematic platforms with the European Commission and the EU Agency for Railways (ERA);
- EIM’s TAP-TAF Working Group (TAP-TAF WG) participates in these platforms and shares best practices between IMs;
- EIM cooperates with RailNetEurope (RNE), which is in charge of the deployment of the necessary IT tools for telematics together with EIM members.
2020
- In the TAP-TAF revision, EIM has actively participated in the preparation of proposals to the ERA Change Control Management (CCM) Working Group and the Board;
- EIM’s TAP-TAF WG members attended many groups dealing with the implementation of the TSIs, as well as the Joint Sector Group with the rail stakeholders to promote the interests of IMs.
- EIM participates in a monthly joint meeting with the RNE and CER for the coordination of the different activities.
Outlook 2021
- EIM with ERA and the European Commission will develop the future telematics applications and continues to develop TAF-TAP and the required IT systems;
- EIM and its members will participate in the JSG proposal for the ETA (estimated time of arrival) which aims to improve the calculation of an accurate time of arrival;
- EIM will participate in the working group PRIME (Platform of Rail Infrastructure Managers in Europe) through the subgroup ‘digital solutions for European rail capacity and traffic management in support of European cross-border rail traffic’.
EC Regulation (EU) No 454/2011 on the technical specification for interoperability
Register of Infrastructure
Objectives
The Register of Infrastructure (RINF) is the main tool for describing the static rail network characteristics and capabilities as required by the Directive (EU) 2016/797 on rail Interoperability. The European Commission set up the RINF as the main tool for publishing the rail network characteristics and capabilities, including the relevant information needed for the ‘route compatibility’ and, subject to a cost benefit analysis done by the ERA, the possibility of including information for digitalisation of the ‘Route Book’.
The RINF consists of a centralised database hosted and managed by the EU Agency for Railways (ERA), describing: i) Operational Points (OP) representing stations, junctions, sidings etc; ii) Section of Lines (SoL) describing the characteristics of tracks which link Operational Points together.
As specified in the EU Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/777, the objective of the RINF in the process of route compatibility checks is to provide a description of the rail network and its capabilities. This will enable the Railway Undertakings (RUs) and/or their suppliers to know all the possible connections on a network. This process is defined in the TSI OPE, Appendix D1.
Infrastructure Managers (IMs), who have full knowledge of the characteristics and evolution of their own rail infrastructure, have to provide the necessary data describing their network infrastructure to the National Register Entity (NRE), i.e. the entity in charge of uploading data to the RINF application. From 2021 onwards, IMs will be in charge of updating the RINF themselves while the NRE remains in charge of the implementation of the register on national level.
EIM in action
- EIM represents the IMs as data providers for the RINF and, as such, ensures that all RINF parameters are providing a real added-value;
- EIM’s RINF Working Group (RINF WG) shares best practices and participates in the relevant ERA Working Party.
- EIM was involved in the Pilot 1 of ERA which aimed to analyse the usage of Linked Data for further developments of ERA. As a consequence, ERA published the Management Board decision.
2020
- EIM contributed to the RINF decision and gave comments on the parameters;
- EIM checked the coherence and alignment of the Route Compatibility Checks in the TSI OPE and RINF parameters;
- EIM negotiated additional time for its members to gather the data required and more flexibility in the time scales for updating the RINF;
- EIM drew ERA’s attention to a number of references to national RINFs within the application guide, ERA removed the references that were requested to be removed.
- ERA, following the EIM recommendation, published the technical opinion which avoids the double reporting of the noise quieter routes. The EC confirmed that RINF is the valid (and unique) procedure for the reporting of the quieter routes.
Outlook 2021
- EIM will monitor the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/777, including the obligations of IMs to update the RINF on a monthly basis from January 2020 onwards;
- EIM will follow the new functionalities to be covered by the RINF by 1st January 2021 :
- (a) streamline the process of updating data in the RINF Application in order to allow IMs to update information as soon as it becomes available;
- (b) improve the description of the network so as to display its geometry accurately;
- (c) provide information regarding possible routing on the network;
- (d) provide means for alerting RUs regarding changes in the RINF Application relevant to them.
- EIM will participate in ERA´s RINF narrow working group which will discuss the future technical implementation of the RINF changes;
- EIM will follow-up the linked data initiatives, the route compatibility checks to be performed by the RUs using the RINF and the ongoing progress of the ERA Pilot 2 related to the possible definition of the micro level information for RINF.