Several regional carriers are starting legal proceedings against the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. They disagree that until at least 2035 the NS will have exclusive rights to the most important part of the Dutch rail network. That reports NRC Tuesday.
The proceedings of a total of five transport companies will commence before the administrative court this month. These are commercial carriers, including Arriva and Transdev, the French parent company of Connexxion. They find the NS’s exclusive decision “careless, hasty and in violation of European regulations”, writes NRC. The European Commission may also be called in later.
According to the companies, which together form the branch organization FMN, the Netherlands is lagging behind in Europe with the liberalization of the rail network. The European Union’s policy is in line with this NRC precisely aimed at.
Last month, State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven (Infrastructure) wrote in a brief to the House of Representatives that the NS will retain exclusive rights to the national railway network even after 2024.
According to Van Veldhoven, the NS performs well, also in comparison with foreign rail companies. The admission of more parties to the main network is considered by the State Secretary to be “complex and risky, which could ultimately be disadvantageous for both the traveler and the taxpayer”.
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