Home › Infrastructure managers directory › Europe
Rail infrastructure managers in Europe
53 managers43 countriesLinks checked on 12 Oct 2026
Europe is where the infrastructure manager role is most sharply defined. EU law, from Directive 91/440 in 1991 through the successive railway packages, requires network management to be kept apart from train operation. That is why so many networks are run by bodies with their own names: Network Rail in Great Britain, DB InfraGO in Germany, SNCF Réseau in France, ProRail in the Netherlands, Adif in Spain and RFI in Italy.
Infrastructure managers by country
No manager matches.
How rail is organised in the region
Several countries have more than one manager. In France, the Tours–Bordeaux high-speed line is run by LISEA under concession and the Channel Tunnel by Getlink; in Britain, the high-speed line to the tunnel has its own manager, separate from Network Rail. Switzerland, outside the EU, keeps integrated railways such as SBB and BLS, each with a dedicated infrastructure division.
On signalling, the common thread is the roll-out of ERTMS/ETCS, mandatory on the trans-European corridors, alongside national systems such as AWS/TPWS in Britain, PZB and LZB in Germany or KVB and TVM in France. The table also covers the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Russia, Turkey and the Caucasus.
Infrastructure manager or train operator?
An infrastructure manager (IM) owns or runs the network itself: track, bridges and tunnels, overhead lines, signalling and telecoms. It maintains and renews these assets, allocates capacity (train paths) to railway undertakings and leads major works and their tenders.
Frequently asked questions
Who manages the railway network in the UK?
Network Rail manages most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain. Northern Ireland's network is managed within Translink, and the high-speed line to the Channel Tunnel has its own operator.
Who manages the railway network in France?
SNCF Réseau manages most of the French network. LISEA runs the Tours–Bordeaux high-speed line, Getlink the Channel Tunnel and LFP the Perpignan–Figueres line.
Why do some countries have several infrastructure managers?
A line can be built and maintained under a private concession, governed by a treaty between two states, as with the Channel Tunnel, or belong to an independent regional network.
Other regions
All names belong to their respective owners; TrainsNews is not affiliated with any infrastructure manager. Report an error or suggest a manager · Version française : https://trainsnews.com/fr/gestionnaires-infrastructure-ferroviaire-europe · © TrainsNews 2026
