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Document 62021CA0671

Case C-671/21, ‘Gargždų geležinkelis’: Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 28 September 2023 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Lietuvos vyriausiasis administracinis teismas — Lithuania) — ‘Gargždų geležinkelis’ UAB (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Single European railway area — Directive 2012/34/EU — Allocation of railway infrastructure capacity — Article 45 — Scheduling — Article 46 — Coordination process — Article 47 — Congested infrastructure — Prioritisation of specific services — Priority criteria — National legislation providing for priority rules linked to the intensity of the use of the infrastructure)

OJ C, C/2023/725, 20.11.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/725/oj (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, GA, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/725/oj

European flag

Official Journal
of the European Union

EN

Series C


C/2023/725

20.11.2023

Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 28 September 2023 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Lietuvos vyriausiasis administracinis teismas — Lithuania) — ‘Gargždų geležinkelis’ UAB

(Case C-671/21, (1) ‘Gargždų geležinkelis’)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Single European railway area - Directive 2012/34/EU - Allocation of railway infrastructure capacity - Article 45 - Scheduling - Article 46 - Coordination process - Article 47 - Congested infrastructure - Prioritisation of specific services - Priority criteria - National legislation providing for priority rules linked to the intensity of the use of the infrastructure)

(C/2023/725)

Language of the case: Lithuanian

Referring court

Lietuvos vyriausiasis administracinis teismas

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: ‘Gargždų geležinkelis’ UAB

other parties to the proceedings: Lietuvos transporto saugos administracija, Lietuvos Respublikos ryšių reguliavimo tarnyba, ‘LTG Infra’ AB

Operative part of the judgment

1.

Articles 45 and 46 of Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area

must be interpreted as meaning that, within the scheduling process and the coordination process referred to in those articles, the infrastructure manager:

is not required to ascertain whether several applicants have submitted competing requests for capacity for the carriage of the same freight;

may apply certain criteria, including criteria that involve some form of prioritisation, provided that their application allows infrastructure capacity to be allocated in a fair and non-discriminatory manner and in accordance with EU law;

must attempt actively to seek a satisfactory solution with applicants in the event of conflicts.

2.

Article 47(3) and (4) of Directive 2012/34

must be interpreted as precluding national legislation which, for the purpose of allocating infrastructure capacity in the event of congested infrastructure, provides for the application of a priority criterion based on the planned use of that capacity, unless that criterion has safeguards to ensure that it is not applied to the detriment of new entrants.


(1)   OJ C 84, 21.2.2022.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/725/oj

ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)


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