Most of parliament against opening up Dutch railroad to more competition

Almost the entire Tweede Kamer thinks allowing more competition on the Dutch railways is a bad idea. During a debate in the lower house of the Dutch parliament, the parties expressed fear that market forces on the railways would lead to fragmentation, the erosion of services, and routes that do not connect well with each other.

Under pressure from European rules, the government may allow parties other than NS to run trains on the main rail network. The NS may also lose connections abroad or night routes. The connections abroad, in particular, generate a lot of money for the carrier.

“Our complex network does not lend itself to liberalization,” said CDA MP Habtamu de Hoop. Someone must “come from another planet if you argue for further liberation in such a time.” GroenLinks fears that the plans will lead to a possible “dismantling” of NS.

The carrier is granted the right to travel on the main rail network “privately.” That means that there is no open tender in which other carriers can participate. Several regional carriers also operate in the Netherlands but on routes other than the main rail network.

The European Commission put “question marks” around the size of the network awarded to NS, said State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen (Infrastructure.) In fact, the Commission demands that the Netherlands have a market analysis carried out into the railways' layout and clarify why NS has a seeming monopoly. If this does not happen, there is a good chance that the Commission will label the Netherlands in default of the rules.

According to Heijnen, this process can take years. And as long as it is ongoing, NS will still have exclusive access to the main network. But if, at the end of the procedure, it appears that the Netherlands has violated rights, then NS may only be allowed to privately obtain a smaller part of the network.

Heijnen said she is considering carrying out an analysis to gain quick clarity on the matter. What she will do with the results of the analysis will also depend on what the Kamer thinks about it, she said. According to her, such an investigation irrevocably opens the door to more market forces on the Dutch railway.

The NS previously expressed concerns about the proposed plans, saying it would result in, for example,trains to Brussels running less frequently.