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NS International

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NS International
NS International's ICE 3
Overview
Main region(s)Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom
Parent companyNederlandse Spoorwegen
HeadquartersAmsterdam
Dates of operation15 juni 2014–
Technical
Length426 km (265 mi)[1]
Other
Websitewww.nsinternational.com

NS International, formerly NS Hispeed, is a passenger railway operator based in the Netherlands that operates international intercity and high-speed connections to several European cities. It is a subsidiary of the Dutch state-owned railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS).

History

During 2007, the former international subdivision of the Dutch state-owned railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), NS Internationaal, was reorganised and rebranded as NS Hispeed. Orientated on providing international passenger services between the Netherlands and neighbouring European countries, it promptly became a founding member of the Railteam alliance, with a 10% share in the group.[2]

To facilitate the operation of high speed services, NS Hispeed proceeded with the procurement of new suitable rolling stock. In 2004, NS International and NMBS/SNCB had jointly ordered 19 V250 train sets from the Italian rolling stock manufacturer AnsaldoBreda for operations between Amsterdam and Brussels and Breda on the HSL-Zuid and HSL 4 high speed railway lines.[3][4] However, difficulties with the order soon became apparent; the initial delivery date was scheduled to take place in 2007[5] By 2008, deliveries were not anticipated until early 2009, while the introduction into service date was pushed back to the middle of 2009.[6][7] NS Hispeed claimed that the delay was primarily due to the lack of a formal ETCS level 2 specification; financial assistance in the form of reorganised track access charges for the unused HSL-Zuid line had to be arranged with the Dutch government.[8]

On 7 July 2009, the new high speed service, branded Fyra, was introduced along with the formal presentation of the prototype V250 train at the high speed train depot at Watergraafsmeer in the Netherlands.[3] However, by this point the expected in-service date has been pushed back to Autumn 2010.[3] In July 2010, the Dutch transport minister Camiel Eurlings stated that the commencement of commercial V250 services on Dutch high speed lines would not take place until December 2011.[9] It would not be until September 2012 - roughly five years later than planned, - that a limited service of one return train per three hours in the Netherlands began in September 2012 between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.[10][11]

The operations of the V250 fleet would be relatively brief as, during January 2013, it was removed from service due to numerous technical issues pertaining to both reliability and safety in low temperature conditions.[12] Belgian authorities opted to revoke the V250's operating certification in Belgium after a floor plate that had fallen off a V250 was discovered.[13] Four months later, only two of the nine sets to have been delivered were reportedly capable of performing test runs.[14] The continuous problems with the V250 caused a public outcry in both Belgium and the Netherlands, including accusations in the Belgian and Dutch media that only financial considerations were behind the decision to grant the contract to AnsaldoBreda over its competitors.[15] On 3 June 2013, NS announced that it would terminate the Fyra project and return the V250 fleet to its manufacturer.[16][17] On 17 March 2014, NS announced a settlement with AnsaldoBreda had been reached under which the trainsets would be returned for a refund of €125 million, €88m less than originally paid, while an additional compensation for each unit, up to a maximum of €21m, would be issued if resold.[18][19]

During June 2014, the company's name was changed to NS International; this rebranding came in parallel to the transfer of the operations of the HSL-Zuid high speed line from NS Hispeed to NS Reizigers.[20] Some industry commentators saw this as a measure by the organisation to distance itself from the negative reputation garnered from the V250 controversy.[21]

In September 2013, it was announced an agreement with the Dutch government, the international train operator Eurostar, and NS International has been reached for the provision of twice daily services between London and Amsterdam Centraal. The initial launch date was December 2016.[22] The service would use newly purchased rolling stock and also call at Brussels, and Rotterdam. Initially, trains would stop in Brussels for about half an hour to allow domestic passengers from Amsterdam and Rotterdam to leave, a security sweep performed, and then permit London bound passengers to board.[23][24] In November 2014, Eurostar announced the Amsterdam service's launch had been pushed back to "2016–2017" and that it would include a stop at Schiphol Airport; Eurostar indicated that the calling pattern was "not set in stone" and if a business case supported it the service might be extended to additional cities such as Utrecht.[25] Fare prices were reported to start at £35 for a single ticket.[26] The first regular service to Amsterdam left London St Pancras International at 08:31 on 4 April 2018;[27] services on the route were quickly expanded over the following years.[28] The direct Amsterdam to London service launched on 26 October 2020 with two trains per day on weekdays.[29]

Former NS Hispeed logo

In August 2019, it was reported that NS international's various services had been cumulatively used by 917,000 passengers over the previous three months, representing a 13 percent increase over the year prior. The increased ridership was attributed to shorter journey times and increased service frequency, particularly on the route to Berlin, which saw the largest increase in passenger volume at 19 percent.[30] One month later, the Dutch flagcarrier KLM announced that it would replace all flights on its Brussels-Amsterdam route with high speed trains that it claimed would equal airliners in speed, comfort, and capacity.[31] During October 2021, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management stated that it would permit greater competition on the nation's international lines to Brussels, Paris, London, Berlin, and Basel, in competition with NS International's services. This extended to international night train services, which the Dutch government was also reportedly considering granting on a fully open access basis between Amsterdam and Vienna.[32][33] The plan was politically contentious due to the predicted economic consequences upon NS International.[34]

NS International has responded to increased competition by reducing journey times on its existing services where feasible to do so.[35] In September 2022, it was announced that NS International's Intercity service between Amsterdam and Berlin would benefit from increased speeds, cutting the journey time by 30 minutes by the end of 2023.[36] The organisation has reportedly considered no longer accepting Interrail passes on some of its international services.[37]

As of 2023, NS International is the Dutch partner of three high-speed international services: Eurostar, Thalys and ICE International. Although the rolling stock for these services are pooled, each partner has purchased and owns a number of units in each fleet. Accordingly, NS owns three ICE 3M EMUs used for the ICE services, and two PBKA EMUs operated by Thalys, all of which are quadricurrent.[citation needed]

Services

The company operates, together with its partners, direct services to Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Type Series Partner Route Frequency Notes
ICE 100

(ICE 43)

DB Amsterdam Centraal - Utrecht Centraal - Arnhem Centraal - Oberhausen Hbf - Duisburg Hbf - Düsseldorf Hbf - Köln Hbf - Siegburg/Bonn - Frankfurt Flughafen - Mannheim Hbf - Karlsruhe Hbf - Offenburg - Freiburg Hbf - Basel Bad Bf - Basel SBB 1x per day
120

(ICE 78)

Amsterdam Centraal - Utrecht Centraal - Arnhem Centraal - Oberhausen Hbf - Duisburg Hbf - Düsseldorf Hbf - Köln Hbf - Frankfurt Flughafen - Frankfurt Hbf 5x per day
Intercity 140

(IC 77)

Amsterdam Centraal - Hilversum – Amersfoort Centraal - Apeldoorn – Deventer - Almelo - Hengelo - Bad Bentheim - Rheine - Osnabrück Hbf - Bad Oeynhausen/Bünde - Minden - Hannover Hbf - Wolfsburg Hbf - Stendal - Berlin-Spandau - Berlin Hbf - Berlin Ostbahnhof 5x per day to Berlin, 1x per day to Hannover, 1x per day to Bad Bentheim
Intercity Direct 9200 NMBS Amsterdam Centraal - Schiphol - Rotterdam Centraal - Breda - Noorderkempen - Antwerpen-Centraal - Antwerpen-Berchem - Mechelen - Brussels National Airport - Brussels-North - Brussel-Centraal - Brussel-Zuid/Midi 1x per hour
Thalys 9300 Amsterdam Centraal - Schiphol - Rotterdam Centraal - Antwerpen-Centraal - Brussel-Zuid/Midi - Paris Nord 10x per day
9900 Amsterdam Centraal - Schiphol - Rotterdam Centraal - Antwerpen-Centraal - Brussel-Zuid/Midi - Aéroport Charles-de-Gaulle 2 TGV - Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy 2x per day Temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[38]
Amsterdam Centraal - Schiphol - Rotterdam Centraal - Antwerpen-Centraal - Brussels-South - Chambéry-Challes-les-Eaux - Albertville - Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains - Aime-La Plagne - Landry - Bourg-Saint-Maurice 1x per week in winter
Amsterdam Centraal - Schiphol - Rotterdam Centraal - Antwerpen-Centraal - Brussels-South - Valence TGV - Avignon TGV - Aix-en-Provence TGV - Marseille 1x per week in summer
Eurostar 9100 Amsterdam Centraal - Rotterdam Centraal - Brussels-South - Lille Europe - London St Pancras 3x per day
Nightjet NJ 421 ÖBB Amsterdam Centraal - Utrecht Centraal - Arnhem Centraal - Düsseldorf HBF - Cologne HBF - Bonn HBF - Koblenz HBF - Mainz HBF - Frankfurt Flughafen - Frankfurt HBF - Würzburg HBF - Nürnberg HBF - Augsburg HBF - Munich HBF - Rosenheim HBF - Kufstein - Wörgl HBF - Jenbach - Innsbruck HBF 1x per day Combined with NJ 40421 from Amsterdam - Nürnberg.

Combined with NJ 40491 from Nürnberg - Innsbruck.

NJ 40421 Amsterdam Centraal - Utrecht Centraal - Arnhem Centraal - Düsseldorf HBF - Cologne HBF - Bonn HBF - Koblenz HBF - Mainz HBF - Frankfurt Flughafen - Frankfurt HBF - Würzburg HBF - Nürnberg HBF - Regensburg HBF - Passau HBF - Wels HBF - Linz HBF - Amstetten NÖ - St.Pölten HBF - Vienna Meidling - Vienna HBF 1x per day Combined with NJ 421 from Amsterdam - Nürnberg.

Combined with NJ 491 from Nürnberg - Vienna.

NJ403

(IC 60403)

ÖBB and DB Amsterdam Centraal - Utrecht Centraal - Arnhem Centraal - Duisburg HBF - Düsseldorf Hbf - Bonn-Beuel - Koblenz HBF - Mainz HBF - Frankfurt Flughafen - Frankfurt HBF - Mannheim HBF - Karlsruhe HBF - Baden-Baden - Offenburg - Freiburg HBF - Basel Bad - Basel - Zürich 1x per day

Regional cross-border services (from Arnhem, Enschede, Hengelo, Maastricht, Nieuweschans, Venlo, Heerlen and Roosendaal) are not part of NS International, nor was the CityNightLine from Amsterdam to Munich and Zurich.

Rolling stock

 Class  Illustration  Type   Top speed   Number   Built   Notes 
 mph   km/h 
Current rolling stock
Series 43000 Electric multiple unit 186 300 2 1997 Used for Thalys service
DBAG Class 406 Electric multiple unit 199 320 3 1999 Used for ICE International service
Siemens Vectron Locomotive 99 160 4 2019- Used for the Nightjet Amsterdam - Innsbruck / Vienna, Nightjet Amsterdam - Zürich and incidental for the intercity Amsterdam - Berlin.
Future rolling stock
ICNG Electric multiple unit 124 200 20 2019- Intercity Nieuwe Generatie (New Generation Intercity)

A further 79 trainsets have been ordered, by the NS. Those will be used for service within the Netherlands and to Belgium via Antwerp and Brussels.

Former rolling stock
V250 Electric multiple unit 155 250 16 ordered 2008-2010 Trains were to be used for Fyra, but the order was cancelled in 2013 and the whole Fyra project abandoned.[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ Amsterdam-Emmerich border, 115 km; high-speed line Schiphol-Antwerp (Antwerpen), 147 km; Amsterdam-Leiden-Rotterdam-Roosendaal, ? km; Amsterdam-Apeldoorn-Deventer-Almelo-Bad Bentheim border, 88+15+38+33 km.
  2. ^ "Railteam moet treinreis binnen Europa veel eenvoudiger maken". Trouw (in Dutch). 3 July 2007. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Fyra brand for Amsterdam - Brussels high speed Archived 2011-06-17 at the Wayback Machine Railway Gazette International 7 July 2009
  4. ^ "Fyra brand for Amsterdam – Brussels high speed". Railway Gazette International. 7 July 2009. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012.
  5. ^ "Beslissing NMBS over V250 - stellen" (PDF). NMBS. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  6. ^ "Slow starter is close to high speed launch". railwaygazette.com. Railway Gazette International. 15 April 2008. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  7. ^ "First Albatros trainset on test at Velim". railwaygazette.com. Railway Gazette International. 9 May 2008. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Eurlings moves to rescue HSA". railwaygazette.com. Railway Gazette International. 11 March 2009. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Fyra launch delayed again". railwaygazette.com. Railway Gazette International. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Fyra V250 nog niet volledig in dienstregeling", spoopro.nl (in Dutch), 11 September 2012, archived from the original on 20 April 2023, retrieved 16 April 2023
  11. ^ Vosman, Quintus (18 September 2012), "V250 emus approved for operation in Belgium", railjournal.com, archived from the original on 4 September 2017, retrieved 16 April 2023
  12. ^ "Sneeuw legt Fyra-verkeer stil". vrtnieuws. 16 January 2013. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  13. ^ "Fyra mag niet meer in België rijden". vrtnieuws. 18 January 2013. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  14. ^ "Bestemming beter Beslissing NMBS/SNCB over V250 - stellen" (PDF). NMBS. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  15. ^ "NRC-reconstructie van het debacle rond de Fyra". NRC Handelsblad. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  16. ^ "NS stopt met Fyra". nu.nl (in Dutch). 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Ook NS ziet niets meer in Fyra= Dutch". NOS. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  18. ^ "NS return Fyra to Italy and obtains 125 million (in Dutch language)". volkskrant.nl. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  19. ^ "The Belgian Railways NMBS/SNCB, AnsaldoBreda and Finmeccanica conclude V250 case". finmeccanica.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  20. ^ Eilander, Elsbeth (26 May 2014). "NS Hispeed verandert naam in NS International". Adformatie (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  21. ^ "NS Hispeed to become NS International". International Rail Journal. 30 May 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Eurostar confirms launch of London – Amsterdam services in December 2016". Railway Gazette. 27 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  23. ^ Barrow, Keith (12 October 2016). "Eurostar Amsterdam timetable emerges". Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  24. ^ "The Man in Seat 61: What's new on the site". www.seat61.com. Archived from the original on 2021-01-03. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  25. ^ "Eurostar plans Easter launch to Amsterdam | Railnews | Today's news for Tomorrow's railway". www.railnews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  26. ^ Smithers, Rebecca (22 February 2018). "Eurostar's direct London-Amsterdam tickets on sale after IT hold-up". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  27. ^ "Eurostar launches regular Amsterdam services". www.railnews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  28. ^ "NS and Eurostar to expand services to London, challenge air travel". dutchnews.nl. 17 December 2019. Archived from the original on 23 September 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  29. ^ "Eurostar to launch direct Amsterdam to London route in October". The Guardian. 24 August 2020. Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  30. ^ "NS international trains transported 917,000 passengers this summer". nltimes.nl. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 July 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  31. ^ "KLM to replace Brussels to Amsterdam flight with high-speed train service". globalrailwayreview.com. 17 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  32. ^ "Dutch government to open international connections up to competition". railtech.com. 5 October 2022. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  33. ^ "NS workers fear for jobs as competition on the network looms". dutchnews.nl. 25 October 2022. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  34. ^ "MPs say no to competition on the railways, fear services will worsen". dutchnews.nl. 2 November 2022. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  35. ^ Séveno, Victoria (4 September 2020). "NS announces plans for faster trains to Brussels and Berlin". iamexpat.nl. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  36. ^ Séveno, Victoria (18 September 2022). "NS to cut travel time between Amsterdam and Berlin by 30 minutes". iamexpat.nl. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  37. ^ "Dutch Railways considers banning Interrail from ICEs to Germany this summer". railtech.com. 3 February 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  38. ^ "Thalys wil in voorjaar 2022 weer rijden naar Disneyland". OVPro.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Kabinet stopt definitief met Fyra". NU (in Dutch). 2013-06-07. Archived from the original on 2022-01-13. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
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