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.
Corridor for Competitive Rail Freight
The dynamism of international rail freight depends on an attractive and market-oriented train path offering. Under Regulation 913/2010 on a "European rail network for competitive freight", the European Union has established 9 European rail freight corridors, one of which crosses Switzerland via the two Alpine transit routes.
Although Switzerland is not a member of the European Union, it participates in the North Sea–Rhine–Mediterranean (NSRM) corridor due to its central location in Europe. The governance of the NSRM corridor is structured around two committees: the Executive Committee, composed of representatives from the ministries (Exbo), which the Federal Office of Transport co-chairs together with Belgium, and the Management Board, bringing together the infrastructure managers and path allocation bodies of the countries concerned. The national representatives on both bodies are each required to strengthen their cooperation, to offer end-to-end international train paths that meet market requirements, to simplify the path ordering procedure, and improve the coordination of construction works that have a significant impact on the lines within their remit.
The relevant infrastructure managers and path allocation bodies draw up a path catalogue for each corridor, providing a harmonised offering of international train paths. The allocation of these pre-established international paths for freight trains is carried out through a single point of contact (OneStopShop) on behalf of the relevant infrastructure managers and path allocation bodies. These paths receive higher priority during the annual allocation process and are reserved exclusively for requests from freight transport companies.
The TVS is a member of the governing body (Management Board) of the NSRM corridor and is involved in several working groups. Railway undertakings and terminal operators can put forward their expectations within advisory groups.
