Common requirements
The TEL TSI lays down common technical and functional requirements for digital data exchange between the actors involved. These include, in particular, railway undertakings, infrastructure managers and other actors performing tasks within the processes covered. The objective is transparent, non-discriminatory and interoperable data exchange within the European railway sector.
EU-wide standardized data exchange
The previous Regulations (EU) No 1305/2014 on the TAF TSI and (EU) No 454/2011 on the TAP TSI were brought together and repealed by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/253 on the TEL TSI. The new Regulation was adopted on 6 February 2026, published on 10 February 2026 and entered into force on 2 March 2026. The TEL TSI covers interoperable data sharing in different areas of rail passenger and freight transport. These include, in particular, capacity and traffic management, train preparation, train running information, the management of freight wagons and loads, electronic consignment documents, as well as travel information and ticketing.
The technical and functional requirements cover, among other things, harmonised data structures, reference data, data quality, secure data use and standardised digital interfaces. This supports cross-border cooperation between the actors involved and advances the digitalisation of rail-related processes.
Objectives & benefits of Telematics TSI
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- Harmonised data exchange within the European railway sector
- Common technical & functional requirements
- EU-wide harmonised identification of relevant actors, locations & objects
- Improved data quality & greater availability of up-to-date information
- More efficient planning, dispatching & operational cooperation
- Support for cross-border & cross-network processes
- Strengthening the competitiveness of rail transport
Implementation at ÖBB INFRA
The Telematics TSI offers a great opportunity to further harmonize and digitally support both operational and timetable-related processes, and thus improve the competitiveness of the entire railway sector. For Austria, this is particularly relevant due to the high share of cross-border traffic and its location in the trans-European railway network. ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG supports European standardization and is implementing the requirements that are relevant to it step by step, taking existing solutions and ongoing implementation projects into account.
Information on planned implementation steps, available interfaces and impacts on customers will be published and regularly updated on this website.
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Standardized Telematics TSI Messages
For the system-technical data exchange to handle the main use cases of train path request, train preparation, and train running information, standardized messages according to the Telematics TSI must be used. The standardized data formats are schema definitions in XSD format. The sequence of Telematics TSI-compliant messages is laid out in the Joint Sector Group handbook in the form of sequence diagrams (see Download and Links/folder "Zusätzliche Informationen"). You can also find more details in the "TEL TSI - Identifier" presentation (see there/folder "Trassenbestellung").
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Primary Location Code (PLC) & Subsidiary Location Code (SLC)
PLC (Primary Location Code) and SLC (Subsidiary Location Code) play a central role in uniquely identifying railway-relevant locations (operating points) on the network.
- PLCs (Primary Location Codes) are standardized codes unique across Europe used to identify operating points (Primary Locations) in rail transport. They are used in telematics specifications to ensure a uniform, Europe-wide valid location referencing. The basis for the PLCs on the ÖBB infrastructure network is the directory of operational location codes DB640.
- SLCs (Subsidiary Location Codes) are additional, more detailed codes that describe specific areas within a Primary Location, like individual tracks or loading points at an operational location. They allow for a more precise location specification within an operational location and are therefore always assigned to a PLC. Depending on the function on the rail network, there are different types of SLCs (01 Track, etc.).
Primary Location
A primary location basically corresponds to national operational points. Train journeys can take place here. PLCs are managed by the responsible infrastructure undertaking. Examples include train stations, shunting yards, stops, handover points, and border points. Based on the processes of the national facility, primary locations are identified by unique Primary Location Codes (PLC). The Primary Location Code consists of the country code and the location code and has a validity period.Management of Primary Location and Subsidiary Locations
The Railway Infrastructure System (RIS) is intended as a central platform for digital railway infrastructure data in the rail sector and is meant to serve as a cornerstone for numerous other systems within the sector – especially in the areas of sales, capacity planning, and operations. The Central Reference Files Database (CRD) is the central database in Europe for location codes (PLC and SLC), company codes (CC), and countries. The CRD is operated by Rail Net Europe (RNE).
You can find more information about the terms, management, and allocation process of PLC and SLC in the corresponding documents on the Download and Links page.
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Common Interface (CI)
Telematics TSI aim for Europe-wide data exchange for rail traffic. The Common Interface (CI) is a peer-to-peer application that supports message exchange according to Telematics TSI. It also allows connecting legacy systems that don’t support Telematics TSI.
What services does the Common Interface offer?
The Common Interface supports the transmission of Telematics TSI messages with the following features:- Formatting outgoing messages according to metadata
- Signing and encrypting outgoing messages
- Addressing outgoing messages
- Authenticity check of incoming messages
- Decrypting incoming messages
- Compliance checks of incoming messages based on metadata
- Managing unified access to different databases
- Verifying the transmission of messages to partners
What advantage does my company have if it uses the CI?
The CI has an ERA certificate, which ensures that it meets the criteria for data exchange with Telematics TSI. RNE, as the licensor, offers a service desk for operation. Besides that, no development efforts are required since it can be licensed from RNE.How can I install the Common Interface?
The Common Interface had been supported in version 2.x until the end of 2025. It can be installed on all common Windows and Linux systems (note: MySQL DB won't work on new Linux servers). From 2026, we'll switch to Common Interface 3.x, which offers a larger range of functions (more connectors for connecting legacy systems) and, thanks to its modular architecture, allows better scalability and high availability.How can I get the Common Interface?
In addition to the CI software, an X-509 certificate is also obtained through the following page: Common Interface - RNE – RailNetEurope | Association For Facilitating Traffic On European Rail Infrastructure.
The X-509 certificate is necessary in order to exchange data via the CI.Are there alternatives to the Common Interface?
Alternatively, you can use self-developed or third-party interface software for scheduling and operations; the specifications are set by RNE or ERA. Companies can, of course, team up to reduce effort and costs.How can I exchange data via the Common Interface with Infrastruktur AG?
To exchange Telematics TSI data with ÖBB INFRA, please contact ci.taf-tap.infra@oebb.at.
You can find more details about the term Common Interface in the relevant documents on the Download & Links page.
