Friday, 1 May 2009
2009-05: NS may lose its stations
NETHERLANDS: Further reforms are needed to open up the rail market, according to a review commissioned by Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings.
A committee chaired by former minister Winnie Sorgdrager was asked to consider the relationship between NS, ProRail and the state. Its report, Over 't Spor, was published on April 4. This found that NS retained too much control, and new operators such as Veolia and Syntus were too dependent on the state-owned company. NS has a protected monopoly of domestic passenger services on the core network until 2015, and its subsidiary NedTrain still maintains most trains for smaller operators.
Despite the fact that NS is itself competing in other European markets, Sordrager felt that ProRail and NS were too firmly rooted in an inherited government mindset, and had ‘cultural problems’ accepting new entrants at home. As NS was not genuinely independent, its operational and strategic objectives would inevitably influence its relationships with other operators. She believed that NS at least needed ‘a complete change of business practice’.
