No new high-speed trains before 2021

The NS is hesitant about introducing the new high-speed trains, or 'flitstreinen' before 2021. In a letter to State Secretary Wilma Mansveld of Infrastructure, Timo Huges, NS-chief, writes that the new intercity trains will not be able to travel faster than 200 kilometers per hour. After the failure of the V250 Fyra trains from Italian producer AnsaldoBreda lost the NS millions, Dutch Rail has stipulated that the new trains cannot go faster than 200 kilometers per hour as this means longer travel time. These kinds of trains need a longer time to accelerate as they are developed for long-distance travel. "The use of proven technology and choices from several suppliers is one of the lessons that the NS has drawn", the letter states. Parliament wanted to have these high-speed trains operational on Dutch rails within four years. According to the NS, however, this is not possible.