The Swiss capacity allocation body TVS is a federal not-for-profit entity under public law with a sepa-rate legal personality.
We are independent and customer-driven. Our guiding principles are neutrality, quality and efficiency.
Here you'll find details of our Board of Directors and Executive Board and an organisation chart of the TVS.
The Board of Directors sets the strategic goals of the TVS every four years.
Here you can find out more about the work the TVS undertakes for the various parts of the rail network.
In addition to other tasks delegated to us, the TVS carries out the infrastructure management work needed to ensure that trains can access the rail network. This is explained in more detail here.
The timetable is generated by the train path design. The TVS is responsible for timetabling and participates in every phase of the timetabling process.
Use of the track network is based on a request or an order and the allocation of rights of use. The TVS accepts orders and allocates train paths and ancillary services.
Rail freight corridors are an important part of Switzerland’s policy of transferring freight from road to rail. The main role of the TVS here is in helping to coordinate available capacity and providing the framework conditions.
In accordance with Article 15f of the Railways Ordinance (EBV), the TVS keeps a register of the information required to operate on the rail infrastructure.
A charge is levied for use of the railway infrastructure. The TVS is responsible for ensuring that the services consumed by train path users are recorded and invoiced in a non-discriminatory manner.
The investment plans of the infrastructure managers state how they intend to undertake and fund the maintenance and expansion of their infrastructure in the future.
TVS collaborates with various European infrastructure-manager institutions and bodies to the extent that this is of benefit to the various duties it carries out and services it provides.
As a company in the rail infrastructure sector, the TVS plays an active role in Swiss rail industry bodies.
The glossary explains some of the specialist terminology the TVS uses in its work.
Here you'll find general information about the TVS as well as an introduction to the topic of railway network access.
The railways play an important role in Switzerland’s road-to-rail transfer policy and climate protection goals. Two out of every three tonnes of goods carried on the Swiss rail network cross the border at least once.
Rail accounts for around 70 percent of all transalpine freight transport, most of which is transit traffic through Switzerland. In passenger transport too, rail plays an important role in providing efficient connections between Europe’s major cities.
To promote cross-border rail traffic, the European Union is actively working to harmonise the rules and procedures that govern the operation of the railways. To harmonise procedures between infra-structure managers and capacity allocation bodies, it set up the cooperative body PRIME (Platform of Rail Infrastructure Managers in Europe).
It also regularly consults rail stakeholder organisations. The TVS is a member of both PRIME and the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER).
As the body responsible for keeping the railway infrastructure register, the TVS also sits on the relevant working groups of the European Union Agency for Railway (ERA). Among other things, ERA is responsible for developing rail interoperability and vehicle safety. To this end, it keeps the European Register of Infrastructure (RINF), European Register of Authorised Types of Railway Vehicles (ERATV) and the European Railway Rolling Stock Registry.
The TVS is also a member of RailNetEurope (RNE), the European association of infrastructure managers and capacity allocation bodies. RNE works at an operational and procedural level to harmonise and promote standardised systems and processes.
Documentation PRIME CER RNE ERA
