You probable have read or heard Arriva wants a train service linking Groningen in the north of the Netherlands to Paris. And Qbuzz wants a train from Amsterdam to Paris; and to Berlin. 

You may have heard of Arriva before. It’s a brand of Deutsche Bahn (DB), used in the Netherlands but also in Great Britain. Qbuzz used to be Dutch, but is now part of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS). So it makes these ideas not so frivolous.

Groningen – Paris

“Arriva has submitted an application to the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) to run the international train connection between Groningen and Paris from 2026″, the company says in a press release dated 8 June 2023.. “With this train service, the transport company is responding to the growing demand for sustainable transport and the great social desire for more international trains.”

Arriva wants to run a daily train between Groningen and Paris from June 2026

The train departs from Groningen in the early morning (05:30 AM) and arrives at Gare du Nord in Paris around 10:40 AM. 

Along the way, the train stops at the stations Zwolle, Almere, Amsterdam South, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Central, Antwerp-Central and Brussels South (Midi). At 07:15 PM the train departs from Paris back to Groningen and arrives there around 00:30 AM. 

In between, the train connects Paris with Amsterdam once more during the day. With this train service, Arriva offers an extra direct and sustainable connection between several European cities.

The application was submitted well before the start date. “This is due to the intention of the Dutch government to make international rail part of the Dutch main rail network for the coming years, if other companies do not come up with plans before 10 June. To avoid limiting the space for additional international connections, Arriva is now announcing its plans. Open access to the railways is a basic condition for making the train a successful alternative to short-haul air travel. This has led to more and cheaper train connections in countries such as Spain, Italy and France.

More plans for international trains

In the future, Arriva wants to make more requests for train traffic from various Dutch regions to, for example, Belgian and French cities. 

“In doing so, Arriva uses the international knowledge that the company has in the 10 European countries where it is active, and the experience it already has through the open access night trains from Maastricht and Groningen to Schiphol. Arriva calls on governments in all European countries not to hinder the market. This is the only way to work towards a comprehensive international train network with more and more frequent trains for passengers.”

ICE to the rescue

Arriva doesn’t say which rolling stock it will use. But surely, it can work something out with DB to use existing Siemens ICE high speed train sets. 

Qbuzz

“Qbuzz shows its ambition and submits an application for three train connections to the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). It concerns Amsterdam to Eindhoven, Amsterdam via Hengelo or Arnhem to Berlin and Amsterdam to Paris that Qbuzz wants to run from January 2027.

The next step is now that ACM will publish Qbuzz’s applications in order to give concession grantors and concession holders the opportunity to request a so-called balance test. 

In March, Qbuzz submitted an application for the night commuter train Dordrecht – Utrecht Central, which was recently approved by ACM. With the preparations that are now being made, this train is expected to be able to run in both directions from December 2024.

Qbuzz uses European legislation that prescribes ‘open access’ on the railways. Carriers can offer rail transport services at their own risk and without government subsidies. This market forces are good for innovation, customer satisfaction and national and international climate objectives.

For the claim to a number of rail connections, based on European legislation, Qbuzz is also supported by the following recent developments:

• a judgment in urgent appeal from the District Court of The Hague on 17 April 2023 stating that the State Secretary is obliged to carry out a market analysis on the basis of European regulations;
• a pilot procedure initiated by the European Commission (EC). Such procedures are carried out when there is a suspicion that a Member State is not complying with EU laws and regulations. The EC is in the right in more than 95% of the infringement procedures.

“So far, the State Secretary has stated that he has not carried out a market analysis for the railways and that he does not intend to do so. The market analysis means that the State Secretary determines on the basis of research which train connections can be offered by the market and for which train connections financial government support is required”, Qbuzz says in its press release. 

“The results of this investigation can be used to determine the size of a possible concession. The requests from Qbuzz and other providers once again underline the importance of conducting a market analysis. The omission of a market analysis is not only contrary to European legislation, but also a missed opportunity to realize innovation on the railways, to compete with air traffic and to contribute to the government’s climate ambitions.”

“We are extremely pleased that ACM has approved our application for the Dordrecht – Utrecht Central line. It is a confirmation that more competition on the railways is possible. This mainly serves the traveler. Market forces accelerate technological developments and implementation quality, creating a fully-fledged and accessible alternative for the traveler. Rail transport is also good for the climate and the realization of national and international climate objectives. Elsewhere in Europe, we see that people take the train more often and that customer satisfaction increases after the opening of the rail market”, says Gerrit Spijksma, CEO of Qbuzz.

“Our shareholder Ferrovie dello Stato has been running a number of high-speed lines in Italy since the beginning of 2000: the Frecciarossa. As of 2012, FS has competition from Italo under ‘open access’. Due to the increased transport offer, travelers benefit from higher frequencies and lower prices.”

“Between Rome and Milan, thousands of travelers are tempted to take the train, rather than the plane or car. The transition from flying to rail transport was so great that Alitalia had to reduce its timetable between these cities. On the railways, this development did not lead to losers: in 2011 about 25 million passengers were transported on the Italian high-speed line, in 2015 this was no less than 64 million passengers. This success continues to this day and has led to the same high-speed line now also operating in other European countries,” says Gerrit Spijksma.

Qbuzz, supported by its shareholder, is convinced that comparable success in the Dutch and Northern European rail markets is possible. The knowledge of the technology, (international) implementation and execution already exists: the Frecciarossa is already driving in Spain and France. 

Gerrit Spijksma: “It seems to me inconceivable that the Netherlands would close its market to such opportunities.”

So?

Will we see competition for Eurostar, as the Thalys brand will disappear? It’s bound to happen. But will these announcements and timeline make it? That remains to be seen. 

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