NETHERLANDS: Railway operator NS and infrastructure manager ProRail have been fined a total of €2.3 million for failing to meet agreed performance targets on the Netherland’s high-speed rail network (HSL) in 2016.
The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure said that overall the performance of the two firms was improved, with passenger and freight disruptions lower than before, but that HSL remained an ‘Achilles heel’ for them both.
NS was fined €1.25 million and warned that it may face competition from another carrier if it doesn’t improve. A target was set by the ministry that 97.5 per cent of NS passengers would get a seat or standing place within 15 minutes of boarding a train but this level was 87.6 per cent last year.
Additionally it was agreed that 94 per cent of trains should depart on time whereas this figure was 93.7 per cent.
