Defense considering turning old NS trains into mobile emergency hospitals

The Ministry of Defense is negotiating with NS about buying 24 decommissioned train cars. The Dutch Armed Forces want to turn these into mobile emergency hospitals that can transport wounded soldiers, the Ministry confirmed to AD.

The Ministry aims to have these mobile hospitals ready by 2026 and may end up buying more than 24 decommissioned train cars, the spokesperson said.

The “current threat in the world” has the Dutch Armed Forces scaling up its operations. Last week, the Ministry of Defense announced a deal with KLM in which the Dutch airline will supply reservists able to fly fighter jets.

The next step is contracting dozens of logistics companies to handle the transport of tanks, ammunition, and other equipment. According to AD, the Ministry wants to contract at least two companies for every step of its logistics ecosystem, totalling about 80 companies.