Looking back and ahead to the main rail network concession period

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management awarded NS the main rail network concession for 2025-2033 at the end of 2023. That is a vote of confidence. We are once again fully committed to providing our passengers with a comfortable and sustainable journey along with reliable timetables and a pleasant experience at our stations during the new concession period.

Ten years

The start of this new concession period also marked the end of our previous concession that ran from 2015 to 2024. Ten years may seem like a short part of our long history: we have been carrying passengers from A to B for over 185 years. But if you travel with us every day, experiencing many highs and lows, ten years is a long time. 

We play a significant role in the lives of our passengers, which is a privilege that must be treated with due care. We take commuters to their workplace, grandparents to their grandchildren, groups of friends to the city. All these people have their own – sometimes changing – travel needs and we try to meet them.

Some of what we did

NS facilitated 3.2 billion train journeys in the last concession period. Over 40,700,000 journeys were made by public transport bicycle. We worked with ProRail and municipalities to introduce free 24-hour bicycle parking. In Utrecht, we opened Europe's largest bicycle parking facility. Large facilities were also provided at the other stations covered by the New Key projects, as well as Amsterdam Central. We added numerous new features in the NS app and developed the e-ticket.

We waved goodbye to the iconic Mat'64 train and introduced a new Intercity, the ICNG, into the landscape. We upgraded our fleet with New Generation Sprinters and Flirts, we modernised our VIRM trains and, after years of loyal service, said a final goodbye to other trains including the DDM1 and the SGM. We cracked down on graffiti, but were unable to prevent tags by graffiti artists from sometimes obstructing our passengers' view.

The number of aggressive incidents increased, particularly during and after the COVID-19 crisis, and we took a wide range of measures to improve social safety. Ranging from the use of bodycams by our Security & Service employees, to a call for politicians to grant more powers to our special enforcement officers, to a pilot project involving the deployment of incomprehensible behaviour intervention officers.

The new construction of Utrecht Central was completed and Assen station, which won two leading architecture awards, was renovated. Arnhem Central reopened its doors after a complete metamorphosis. Delft, Eindhoven and Tilburg stations also underwent substantial renovation. Ede-Wageningen station was razed to the ground and rebuilt as a new, improved, future-proof version. Amsterdam Central was extended with the IJ hall and passages. We said goodbye to stations and opened new ones. We installed AEDs at stations and extended travel assistance to all stations on the main rail network. 

Travel time to Berlin was shortened and rail options to Belgium increased. We braved storms and got stuck in the snow. There were strikes and we carried thousands of visitors to the Dutch Grand Prix and walkers to the Nijmegen Four Days Marches. We found hundreds of umbrellas and developed an online self-service tool to make it easy for rightful owners to recover their lost items. We introduced the free Kids Vrij season ticket and the Young Person’s Off-Peak Day Ticket. And thirsty passengers were able to use one of the over 200 drinking water fountains we installed at the stations. 

We were faced with terrible accidents, such as those at Hooghalen and Voorschoten, and advocated for tackling NABOs (non-actively protected level crossings). We invested a lot of time in suicide prevention and educated schools about the dangers of playing next to tracks.

We racked our brains over the busy rush hour and tried to encourage passengers to travel at different times of the day. We initiated partnerships with regional training centres and offered work placements at our company. Infrastructure constraints and faulty trains caused us difficulties and led to delays. Despite much cleaning and scrubbing, the trains remained too dirty and drivers helped out to wash more trains. We carried the royal family to King’s Day in Tilburg and facilitated the option to vote at stations. We introduced the Group Ticket and were affected by its fraudulent use. 

We had an exceptionally good year in 2019 and our passengers appreciated this, but we were then faced with a new reality: the COVID-19 period. We kept the country moving so that key workers could continue their jobs. At the same time, we had to ask others to avoid train travel unless absolutely necessary. During the pandemic, the Netherlands discovered home working on a large scale and continued to embrace this new approach even when we were able to return to the office. This led to fewer passengers. Commuters mainly chose Tuesdays and Thursdays to go to work, resulting in packed trains during rush hour on those days.

We launched a huge cost-reduction programme, inflation was a major concern for us, and we engaged with politicians on ticket prices. We understood our passengers when they were inconvenienced by construction work, but were also well aware that this work is necessary to make improvements for the future. We learned that badgers and beavers can disrupt a timetable and equipped our main guards with Smartwatches to save time on train departures. We switched to running on green electricity in 2017, ensured that 99% of old train components get a second life, and worked more and more sustainably. We went into stations with a train simulator to recruit new train drivers and we provided work for asylum permit holders. We hired thousands of new colleagues and were happy to be able to retain them.

A social enterprise

This is just a few examples of our unruly reality during the previous concession period. And our passengers were always there for the ride. Some travelled with us throughout the turbulent concession period, others joined us later, we lost some, and others rediscovered us. They were happy with us, viewed as an essential given, or were disappointed because their journey did not go as they – and we – expected. We are a social enterprise: we are from and for all of the Netherlands and passengers made us part of their lives.

Looking ahead

Last year, the agreements on the details of the concession were fleshed out, with the 2024 timetable as the starting point. We are gradually expanding this based on changes in passenger demand. Our aim is to ensure that travelling by train keeps getting a little better. In the 2025 timetable, the number of trains running per week will increase by more than 1,500 compared to 2024. We will also collaborate with Belgian carrier SNCB to offer more travel options to Belgium. We want to run more trains on the HSL between Schiphol and Rotterdam during the course of this concession. We are also looking forward to reducing the journey time between the Northern Netherlands and Schiphol in the longer term and adding some Intercity trains during rush hour from Enschede to Deventer or extra Sprinters during off-peak hours between Leiden and Woerden. These are just a few examples of what we are planning.

The new concession includes more night trains and a more frequent service to many stations. There will also be new stations: Leeuwarden Werpsterhoeke, Hazerswoude and Rotterdam Stadionpark. In the meantime, we are also continuing to work with ProRail on major renovations at Amsterdam Central and Amsterdam South. 

We are bringing in more new Intercity trains and production of 60 new double-decker trains will start soon. These trains also have single-deck sections that are wheelchair friendly and can be accessed without assistance. The tender process for a new type of Sprinter is currently under way.

We remain interested in and encourage innovations in the rail sector. For instance, we are conducting experiments in the Rail Fieldlab 5G, which was opened in 2024 by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, ProRail and NS. We deploy generative AI and carry out digital inspections of rolling stock. We share our innovative knowledge in various bodies and thus take responsibility as the largest passenger carrier in the Netherlands. We encourage housing development near stations and actively participate in discussions in this area. 

Financial challenges ahead

The concession agreements were signed at a financially and operationally challenging time. NS, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the Ministry of Finance all worked together to bring the new concession into being. For example, NS has been struggling with lower passenger numbers and higher costs since COVID-19. Instead of a fee paid by NS, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management will pay a subsidy of €13 million per year over the term of the new concession. Our shareholder, the Ministry of Finance, has accepted a lower expected benchmark return from NS. 

NS was keen to include in the concession the possibility of setting the price of a train ticket based on time of day, distance, expected level of crowding, travel class and train speed. We believe this is an effective instrument to spread passengers. Under our proposal, train fares for average passengers are lower: affordability is our primary objective. There appeared to be no political support for this new approach. However, peak-hour congestion remains an urgent issue and NS will continue to engage with stakeholders on options to spread passengers in other ways.

We regularly discuss our performance with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. In consultation with the Ministry, we agreed a number of new and adjusted KPIs including punctuality, seat availability in second class and CO₂ emissions avoided. These agreements give a clear indication of how train travel is helping to keep the Netherlands accessible in a sustainable manner.

Keeping the Netherlands moving

For our passengers, we are as good as their last train journey. We are committed to providing our passengers with a positive experience and keeping their door-to-door journey in mind in everything we do. For NS employees, there is nothing better than transporting happy passengers every day and keeping the country moving. This is what we have the opportunity to focus our efforts on again in the new concession period. We keep the Netherlands accessible in a sustainable manner – for everyone.