Arriva Will Not Operate Sprinter Trains in Northern Netherlands Before 2029
State Secretary Bertram ruled that Arriva does not have enough trains available to take over the routes between Zwolle, Groningen and Leeuwarden, pushing any potential transfer to at least 2029.
Transport company Arriva will not be taking over the sprinter train services between Zwolle and Groningen and between Zwolle and Leeuwarden, at least not before 2029. State Secretary Femke Bertram of Infrastructure and Water Management announced the decision this week, ending another round of negotiations that had been ordered by a court.
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What Arriva wanted
Arriva has been trying to take over the Northern Lines from NS for several years. In 2022, Arriva said it could provide a major boost to public transport in Noord-Nederland, offering more frequent stops and faster services. The company also proposed adding new stations between Groningen and Zwolle.
The routes are currently part of the main rail network concession held by NS, the exclusive contract NS has with the Dutch government to operate the national rail network. Arriva wanted the Northern Lines removed from that concession so it could operate them independently under open access rules.
Why the bid was rejected
The trains Arriva intends to use on the northern routes are needed on the Nijmegen to Roermond line by 2027. Ordering new trains takes three years. "New rolling stock could not enter service before 2029," Bertram wrote.
The ministry also noted that it cannot compel NS to hand over rolling stock to a competing operator, as open access operators are expected to run services at their own risk and with their own resources.
Arriva expressed disappointment. A spokesperson said the company does not see the rolling stock availability as an issue at all, and suggested that if works on the Nijmegen-Roermond line are delayed, the trains planned for that route could remain in the north instead.
A long-running legal dispute
This is not the first time the government has blocked Arriva's bid. Earlier cabinets had also awarded the sprinter services to NS, but the College van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven, the highest administrative court for economic cases, ruled that decision had been made too hastily and ordered the ministry to reopen negotiations with Arriva. Those renewed talks, which had a deadline of December 2025, ran over time and have now concluded with the same outcome as before.
The new decision still has to be assessed by the court, as the legal proceedings are continuing. A separate case against the concession is also running before the European Court of Justice.
What happens next
The cabinet will reconsider the sprinter services in 2029 when the NS concession comes up for its mid-term review. Arriva has made clear it does not accept that timeline. "Our offer is not that we will have a look in 2029 at some mid-term review. That is too long in our view. We want to get started as soon as possible," an Arriva spokesperson said.
In the meantime, Arriva is already running express trains between Groningen and Zwolle at its own cost under open access rules, a separate arrangement that was agreed earlier and is not affected by this decision.
