Railway operators must submit an application or order for specific passenger and freight paths to Swiss capacity allocation body. Deadlines are listed in the conditions for ordering paths published by Swiss capacity allocation bodyLink opens in new window. for each annual timetable.
Railway operators can order train paths and feasibility studies using the ordering tools available for this purpose. Regardless of the type of service requested, the orders are processed on a first come, first served basis, i.e. based on the order in which requests are submitted to Infrastructure.
To order paths, railway operators can use the NeTS-AVIS tool. As soon as the operator signs the network-access agreement, the ordering tool is made available.
Derivation of Order Attributes Link opens in new window.For freight services on the heavily used north-south axes, a train path catalogue is issued annually. The train path offers listed in the catalogue are designed to assist the railway companies when placing their orders. They are based on the transport companies' service concepts but also reflect the current capacity situation
Gotthard/Lötschberg remaining capacity.
The railway companies can also order train paths during the current timetable period in order to introduce new or modified services. In this case, however, they can only request the remaining capacities available. These are published periodically for freight services on the transit routes.
The train path catalogues and remaining capacities are published by Swiss capacity allocation bodyLink opens in new window..
This section contains some useful documents to help request, plan and operate cross-border train services.
Map of Switzerland showing the position of all 17 border crossing points to France, Germany, Liechtenstein/Austria and Italy.
With the document “Rules for border stations”, Swiss capacity allocation body is regulating whether a train path request should take the form of:
Border factsheets are information documents that depict each border point geographically and in terms of the systems involved. The factsheets also list the operating points that need to be recorded when submitting requests to NeTS-AVIS. They are of a purely informative nature and are intended to facilitate the train path application process in cross-border traffic. They therefore have no legal effect.
The purpose of the Network usage concept and Network usage plans is to secure equitable train paths for freight and passenger traffic on the Swiss rail network, and to allow an attractive service for both types of traffic in the long term.
The Network usage concept and Network usage plans are based on the Expansion steps for rail infrastructure, currently on Expansion steps 2025 with the corresponding service concept for that target year. They ensure that the future demands of freight and passenger transport can be met. Thanks to the binding nature of train path planning, and the allocation of the available train paths to the different types of traffic, in particular the train paths necessary for freight traffic – in terms of both quantity and quality – can be secured in the long term, so it this is not displaced by the expansion of passenger traffic.
The Network usage concept lays down the planned train path usage over one model hour, for all sections of the rail network. It plans at least one freight train path per hour and in each direction on double-track sections and one train path per hour on sections that are mostly single-track. Transalpine freight traffic requires four train paths per hour in each direction on the Basel-Gotthard-Chiasso route, two on the Basel-Gotthard-Luino route, and three and a half on the Basel-Lötschberg-Domodossola route. It is the Federal Council’s responsibility to approve the Network usage concept and its updating.
The Network usage plans lay down train path securing in detail, related to the individual timetable years. The Network usage plans are drawn up by the infrastructure managers six years before the timetable year in question, and updated as required. The FOT approves the Network usage plans at the request of the infrastructure managers. These plans are binding for infrastructure managers and the authorities, and serve as a basis for train path allocation.
To the NNK on the website of the Federal Office of Transport Link opens in new window.NNP 2022 (PDF, 7,4 MB)
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NNP 2023 (PDF, 7,6 MB)
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NNP 2024 (PDF, 7,9 MB)
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NNP 2025 (PDF, 7,8 MB)
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NNP 2026 (PDF, 7,8 MB)
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NNP 2027 (PDF, 7,4 MB)
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NNP 2028 (PDF, 7,9 MB)
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NNP 2029 (PDF, 7,8 MB)
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The capacity strategy describes the basic principles of capacity management and traffic flow planning. This document was drawn up jointly by SBB Infrastructure and BLS Netz AG for the first time in 2022 for the timetable year 2025 as part of the collaboration in the European "TTR for Smart Capacity Management" programme and coordinated with the infrastructure managers on the "Rhine - Alpine" freight corridor. The capacity strategy is drawn up for each timetable year and published in one national language and in English in accordance with the requirements of the international programme.
TTR for Smart Capacity Management
Link opens in new window.Capacity Strategy 2025 (PDF, 860 KB)Link opens in new window. (PDF, 860 KB)This document is not barrier-free.
Capacity Strategy 2026 (PDF, 897 KB)Link opens in new window. (PDF, 897 KB)This document is not barrier-free.
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