Innovations

In order to be and remain relevant for Dutch society, we are working hard to further optimise our performance. At the same time, we are looking towards the future. Innovations help us to make train travel more attractive and to make our employees’ work more effective and more fun. We also face major challenges in areas such as sustainability, travel behaviour and the labour market, where innovations can offer solutions. 

Innovation involves NS as a whole

We will continue to innovate in all business areas. Here are some of the most significant innovations from 2024:

  • We created the basic version of this chapter using ChatNS: a chatbot developed specifically for NS, based on generative AI. NS also deploys generative AI more broadly. One of the areas in which we do this is customer service. We use AI to summarise customer conversations so that we can improve service delivery. Customer advisers then have more time to help customers.

  • We are continuously working on digitalising inspections of trains and buildings. For example, we are in the process of installing two additional camera portals to improve inspections of components such as pantographs and wheelsets. We are seeing increasing evidence of the useful role that algorithms and AI models can play in enhancing image quality and recognition of parts. In the case of stations, we carry out maintenance inspections using drones controlled by a drone pilot for each region.

  • In the wake of the pandemic, more people are travelling at the same time. To avoid large crowds on trains, we encourage passengers to travel at other, quieter off-peak times. For example, by offering discounted train tickets. The time a train ticket is purchased can also lead to savings: the earlier before departure a ticket is booked, the greater the available discount on certain routes. We have phased in these dynamic pricing models under the name NS Price-Time Deals for specific time periods.

  • Passengers who do not hold a valid ticket are issued a deferred payment notice (UVB). We simplified this administrative process last year. We also tested possible solutions to further accelerate and simplify the UVB process.

  • Artificial intelligence allowed us to improve passenger forecasts and personalise marketing activities, among other things. A new train availability forecasting model will enable us to better manage train availability and scheduling. A tool has also been developed for predicting the availability of public transport bicycles, giving passengers better insight into whether a bicycle is available when they arrive at the station.

  • In 2019, NS began exploring the potential benefits of ATO (Automatic Train Operation) in terms of capacity, operational processes, safety and sustainability. In 2024, we performed several test runs of automatic driving on the main rail network and remote shunting. These test runs provided a lot of insight into the process and technology steps we need to improve.

  • NS is exploring opportunities for 5G with parties including ProRail and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Together, we opened the Rail FieldLab 5G at the Railcenter in Amersfoort for this purpose. This is a physical environment where the rail sector can run experiments with 5G.

  • NS focuses on extended reality, including virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. At two maintenance sites, we started using augmented reality glasses on a small scale. Virtual reality is part of employee training in the form of an interactive 3D model. During station renovations, we use virtual reality to walk through the virtual station and make early design adjustments.

We also took other steps in 2024 that are important for the rail system of the future, which ultimately enable us to offer passengers a more attractive product:

  • For instance, we worked on migration scenarios for replacing the current GSM-R network with the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS).

  • For the new ERTMS train safety system, we have started converting our fleet to ERTMS L2. ERTMS is now being used for passenger services on the technically harmonised sections of track on the Amsterdam-Utrecht route and we are in the final testing phase on the Hanze Line.

  • Some of our sprinter rolling stock is equipped with Driver Controlled Operation (DCO). Commercial test runs with the DCO-capable trains carrying passengers started on the Amsterdam to Schiphol Airport route in summer 2024. The aim is to speed up and improve implementation of the timetable.

Innovating with others

In order to make the Netherlands accessible in a sustainable manner for everyone, we are partnering with many other actors, including research universities and universities of applied sciences, as well as other players in the railway sector, such as ProRail and DB. With the aim of accelerating innovations and thus maximising our impact, we are also participating in various multi-year programmes:

  • Together with ProRail, NS is a core member of Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, a European research and innovation programme. This public-private partnership between the European Commission and the European railway sector promotes innovation in the railway network. The aim is to improve the interconnectivity of the various European rail systems, facilitate rail transport capacity growth after 2030 and make rail transport a more affordable, sustainable and attractive proposition.

  • The Stichting Kickstart AI foundation was set up to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Netherlands. The partners in this initiative – AholdDelhaize, KLM, ING and NS – are convinced that AI is going to have a huge impact and that it can potentially make a positive contribution to society. One of the tools employed by the partners is to organise challenges around themes where AI can add value. Last year, NS organised a challenge to use AI to detect unattended objects at stations through camera images – within the framework of privacy laws.

  • The investment fund SHIFT Invest helps accelerate innovations within NS. This fund has invested in 6 start-ups in 2024 and 12 start-ups have been introduced within various NS business units.

  • NS is taking part in an extensive and long-term AI research programme called ROBUST: Trustworthy AI-based Systems for Sustainable Growth. One of the 17 labs taking place within this programme is the RAIL Lab, in which Delft University of Technology, Utrecht University, ProRail and NS are working together on the future planning and control of logistic and dynamic areas such as mobility hubs and yard tracks. In 2024, this partnership made a major contribution to the first automated hub planning system.

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