The European Commission is starting a lawsuit against the Dutch State because it has largely awarded train transport to NS in the coming years. The main issue is that the cabinet did not give other carriers a chance to compete.
It concerns the so-called main rail network concession, which includes the largest part of the train routes in the Netherlands. The government granted this concession for the period 2025 to 2033 to NS a few years ago without a tender.
But the European Union believes that the government should have investigated whether it should have allowed other carriers, such as Keolis and Arriva, to compete. These carriers already handle a small part of Dutch train transport, but would like to take a bigger slice of the pie.
The European Commission has already told the Netherlands several times that there should be an investigation to see if the smaller carriers should indeed be able to compete. But the politicians have repeatedly refused to do this, without giving a sufficient justification, according to Brussels.
The Commission had previously threatened to go to the European Court of Justice and is now putting its money where its mouth is. “Competition in the railway market is essential to offer passengers more attractive and innovative services at lower costs,” the Commission states.