Mandatory delivery of a TCM/PTCM is postponed to 2024

Transmission of the train composition to the network operator

23.11.2022 | With the postponement of the mandatory submission of a TCM/PTCM, railway undertakings have been given a reprieve. You will find the answers to the most important questions on this topic below.

What is TCM/PTCM?

With the transmission of the Train Composition Message (TCM) or Passenger Train Composition Message (PTCM), railway undertakings will in future be obliged to send the network operator (railway infrastructure company) information on the current train composition for dispatching. The transmission of the train content data is based on the train number and must be introduced by all players in the European rail market for both freight and passenger transport.

The message content and format must comply with the provisions of EU Regulation 2021/541 TAF TSI (Technical Specification for Interoperability - Telematics Applications for Freight) and TAP TSI (Telematics Applications for Passenger Services.

When must the message be sent?

With the mandatory transmission of the TCM/PTCM, railway undertakings must send a message at the following times:

• Before departure of the train, as soon as the final train content data is available.
• In the event of changes to the train content data on the train's itinerary before continuing its journey with the changed composition.

A separate TCM shall be transmitted for each valid section of a train composition.

When does the mandatory fee apply?

Initially, the mandatory submission of TCMs was planned for December 2022. Due to a delay in the commissioning of the systems required for this, the mandatory delivery has now been postponed to December 2024 (i.e. to the working timetable 2025).

A voluntary transmission of the TCM/PTCM to the network operator is already possible for the railway undertakings from September 2023.

Summary

The submission of the TCM will become an obligation for every rail transport company in the short or long term. The sooner you start, the better. zedas®cargo has already integrated the automatic transmission of the TCM into its standard software, so that our customers are already well prepared for the obligatory submission and no additional effort is required.

You want more information? Then feel free to contact our ZEDAS experts Chris Richter!

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