ANP
News from the NOS•
The overwhelming majority of the House of Representatives is not in favor of allowing more competition on the railways. Almost all parties fear that more market forces will lead to fragmentation and poorer services for travelers.
European standards stipulate that organizations other than NS must also be able to travel on the so-called main rail network. Commercial suppliers like Arriva, who already operate a number of regional lines, are interested in this. Furthermore, the NS risks losing night routes and connections with foreign countries. Those overseas lines are very profitable.
“Our complex network is not suitable for large-scale privatization,” CDA MP Harry van der Molen said in a debate in the House. PVV, D66, SP, PvdA, GroenLinks, Party for the Animals and ChristenUnie also see it this way. Several parties fear a “dismantling” of the NS. Only the VVD thinks that market forces can lead to improvements on the railways.
‘Privately awarded’
The House of Representatives and the Council of Ministers want NS, in which the state is a 100 percent shareholder, to be granted the right to travel on the main rail network ‘privately’. This means that there will be no public tenders in which other carriers can also participate. The new concession period runs from 2025 to 2035.
Secretary of State Heijnen (Infrastructure and Water Management) explained to the Chamber that the European Commission has “question marks” about the size of the network assigned to NS. The Commission also wants the Netherlands to carry out a market analysis first. If this does not happen, there is a good chance that Brussels will “declare our country in default”.
market analysis
Several parties believe that the Secretary of State should not succumb to European needs. But according to Heijnen, there is a real possibility that the Netherlands will lose this case, which can take years, and that NS may be able to privately award only a small part of the rail network.
That is why he is now considering doing a market analysis in order to gain clarity for NS in the short term. What will ultimately happen to the outcome of the analysis will also depend on what the House thinks, Heijnen said. In her opinion, it is not even the case that such an investigation irrevocably opens the door to more market forces on the railways.
