Schipol Airport-Zwolle night train impossible without municipal funding, Arriva says

The Ariva night train running on Friday and Saturday nights from Schiphol to Zwolle and back is not profitable for the first part of the route, between the airport and Lelystad, according to a report that Arriva has shared with the municipality of Lelystad. Lelystad and Almere are paying for the trial.

Arriva concluded that the night train cannot continue to exist without financial contributions from the municipalities of Lelystad and Almere. Even if the number of passengers were to increase dramatically, a “significant guarantee” remains “an absolute necessity,” the company said.

The night rain trial started in March 2025 and is scheduled to last two years. In 2025, the train ran 71 times. On those occasions, 1,808 travelers traveled towards Schiphol. In the other direction, toward Lelystad, 2,813 people used the line. Arriva’s operating costs in 2025 were just under €180,000, the annual report shows.

In 2025, the municipality of Lelystad guaranteed €76,923, of which it will not recover €72,516. Ticket sales generated €4,407 for Lelystad.

The costs for the municipality of Almere are not mentioned in the report. However, a municipal spokesperson told Omroep Flevoland that the costs for Almere are “approximately comparable.”

After Lelystad, the train continues to Zwolle. Arriva did not release figures regarding that part of the route.

NS also operates a night line on the same route, which departs later in the night. NS has a lawsuit pending against Lelystad and Almere, arguing that the municipalities’ financial support to competitor Arriva is creating unfair competition on the route. It is not clear when the lawsuit will appear in court.