Arriva’s plans to launch direct international train services from Amersfoort and The Hague to Paris can go ahead after Dutch regulator the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) concluded that the services would not have a significant negative impact on NS’s main rail network concession.

The decision follows an Economic Equilibrium Test (EET) requested by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). Under the open-access rules for international rail services, the test examines whether a proposed new service could significantly affect the revenues of existing services operated under a public-service concession.

The ACM found that Arriva’s planned services would have “no significant negative effect” on the financial balance of NS’s 2025–2033 main rail network concession. NS had calculated that it would lose some revenue if Arriva entered the market, but the regulator concluded that the estimated impact was not large enough to prevent the new services from operating.

The regulator also highlighted a benefit for passengers. The proposed Amersfoort – The Hague Dutch Rail (Den Haag Hollands Spoor) – Paris service would provide a direct connection between the Dutch cities and the French capital that is not currently offered as part of the NS concession. The ACM therefore concluded that the service would provide a net benefit to travellers and should be granted access to the railway infrastructure.

From Groningen to Amersfoort and The Hague

Arriva first announced plans for a direct Groningen to Paris service in June 2023. The original proposal envisaged using high-speed lines, with a journey time of around five hours despite stops including Zwolle, Almere, Amsterdam South, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Central, Antwerp-Central Railway Station, Brussels-South, and other stations.

The plans subsequently changed. Arriva opted for conventional railway lines, reducing the maximum speed to 160 km/h and increasing the journey time to more than seven hours. The Dutch route was later revised to run from Zwolle via Amersfoort, Utrecht, ’s-Hertogenbosch, and Breda.

The original Groningen–Paris service has not yet started. Meanwhile, in July 2026, Arriva expanded its plans with additional services from Amersfoort and The Hague. The company wants to operate two daily return services between Amersfoort and Paris and three daily return services between The Hague and Paris.

The The Hague service is planned to use the conventional route via Roosendaal, while the trains from Amersfoort would also operate over conventional lines. Arriva plans to use traditional locomotive-hauled trains, consisting of a locomotive and passenger coaches, and aims to launch the new services by 1 February 2028 at the latest.

Capacity still needs to be secured

The ACM decision does not yet guarantee that the trains will run. Arriva must now apply for infrastructure capacity from the railway infrastructure managers in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

In the Netherlands, this means applying to ProRail for the necessary train paths. If there is insufficient capacity, trains operated under public-service concessions have priority under the Dutch capacity-allocation rules.

Arriva’s plans form part of a wider expansion of open-access international rail services following the decision to remove most international services from the Dutch main rail network concession. A government market analysis in 2023 found significant interest from operators in running international trains, with proposed routes including Amsterdam to Berlin, Amsterdam to London and Amsterdam to Paris.

GoVolta also under scrutiny

Arriva is not the only operator seeking to enter the Amsterdam–Paris market. GoVolta plans to launch an Amsterdam–Paris service in December 2026 and has also notified the ACM of plans to carry passengers on the domestic section of its international route.

NS has requested a separate Economic Equilibrium Test for the GoVolta proposal. The outcome of that assessment will determine whether those plans could have a significant impact on NS’s concession.

More on cross-border trains

• Italo interested in running trains to / in Belgium and the Netherlands, after conquering Germany.
• YES TO THE NIGHT TRAIN | A plea for reclining seats and six-berth compartments.
• Back On Track Belgium salutes return of Brussels–Milan night train as “a real feat”.
• Antwerp now linked to Cologne in Germany with direct Deutsche Bahn ICE via Brussels Airport.
• Antwerp-Central sees increase in international train travel.
• Europe’s night-train revival: a real comeback or a false dawn?.
• Dutch and Belgian passenger advocates call for swift reopening of Hamont-Weert railway.
• European Sleeper plans Brussels – Antwerp – Malmö night train service for 2028.
• ‘New’ Amsterdam-Hamburg ICE service is actually a diversion of Berlin trains.
• RAIL IN EUROPE | Off-the-shelf trains to speed up delivery and cut costs.
• GoVolta unveils ambitious expansion with new services to Cologne, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, plus high-speed trains to Paris.
• PASSENGER PACKAGE | European Rail Passengers’ Federation and Back-on-Track Europe welcome EU rail reforms but call for stronger cross-border rights.
• European Sleeper, Nightjet and OUIGO Train Classique services through Belgium to change from September 2026.
• Catalonia and Andorra launch studies for first cross-border Tramvalira project.
• Arriva expands Paris train ambitions with extra The Hague to Belgium connections.
• EUROSTAR | From Brussels to London in Eurostar Plus (2026).
• NMBS / SNCB: International train travel continues to grow in popularity with Belgian holidaymakers.
• Political push in the Netherlands for Eindhoven to Brussels EuroCity.
• TGV inOui Brussels – Strasbourg – Basel from July 2027.
• Deutsche Bahn Cologne – Ostend ICE caters to 700,000 Belgian Coast-loving tourists from Germany.
• RAIL BALTICA  | Tallinn – Valga / Valka – Riga – Vilnius by train.
• SPAIN | Renfe suspends Paris high-speed project amid certification deadlock.
• Finland and Sweden to be linked by rail this summer.
• European Parliament rubberstamps new regulation to upgrade cross-border railway capacity coordination.
• GoVolta launches daily Amsterdam to Paris day train via Antwerp and Ghent, with tickets from €19.
• EUROPEAN SLEEPER | Brussels to Milan night train now via Antwerp, Breda and Eindhoven instead of Liège and Aachen.
• ÖBB NIGHTJET | New generation carriages to debut on Amsterdam–Zurich route in December 2026.
• 8.7 billion rail trips in Europe in 2024 as Switzerland leads and Belgium’s data remain unavailable.
• Deutsche Bahn, DSB and Vy present direct Berlin to Oslo route, from summer 2028.
• European Rail Passengers Union: EU must act now to make cross-border rail travel seamless, fair, and green: passengers demand guaranteed rights and simpler ticketing.
• European Sleeper sets out vision for 40-route night train network across Europe, including London.
• RAIL BALTICA | Elron, Vivi, and LTG Link launch joint tender for regional trains.
• Trenitalia / FS Group advances Paris hub to power European high-speed expansion, looking at Belgium and the Netherlands in the long term.
• Train Charter Services replaces Keolis as operator for GoVolta trains.
• Trenitalia unveils €2 billion investment plan and orders 74 new Frecciarossa high-speed trains.
• Belgium and the Netherlands work on Brussels to Eindhoven direct train, possibly via Antwerp.
• Snälltåget to run Stockholm – Malmö – Copenhagen – Hamburg day trains from May 2026.
• Nox night trains: a smart new cabin concept or just an unachievable dream?.
• How firm are Eurostar and Deutsche Bahn’s “2030s” Germany to London train link plans?.
• Leo Express files plans for extraordinary 2026 Bratislava–Ostend and Venice–Northern Germany services.
• Rail should be functional, not fine art: EU leaders call for standardisation and lower costs.
• Subsidies for night trains? “You cannot fix this until someone builds more sleeper and couchette carriages”.
• Leo Express and Arenaways plan direct train between Prague and Venice.
• Italo targets the German high-speed rail market.
• Trenitalia eyes expansion into Germany’s high-speed trains market.
• European Commission wants to link all EU capitals by high-speed train by 2040… and that’s not going to happen.
• Travellers in Europe increasingly open to choosing trains over planes for short-haul journeys.
• REVIEW | European Sleeper night train.
• Paris Nightjet axed: France’s withdrawal threatens Europe’s night train revival.
• Iron Rhine gets renewed political attention in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
• ÖBB prioritises Railjet over Nightjet: Is the night train revival a False Dawn?.
• EUROPEAN SLEEPER | Brussels to Barcelona night train to stop in Avignon, Montpellier, Narbonne, and Girona.
• Trenitalia, Deutsche Bahn and ÖBB launch Frecciarossa EuroCity trains linking Berlin, Munich, Milan, Rome and Naples.
• EU train travel report sees increase in cross-border passenger trains and easier bookings.
• Brussels to Luxembourg by train under 2 hours by 2030?.
• Eurostar and five more train operators joined the European Agreement on Journey Continuation.
• ÖBB’s new Nightjet sleeper cars accommodate solo travellers with Mini Cabins.
• EUROCITY EC-8 | Basel to Cologne in SBB’s Panoramic Car.
• REVIEW | Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 Paris – Milan in Business Executive.
• RAIL TOUR OF EUROPE | How easy is touring Europe by train?.
• Eight train connections between the Netherlands and Belgium by 2030?.
• REVIEW | ÖBB Nightjet Amsterdam – Zurich night train.
• Nightjet Vienna/Innsbruck to Brussels, or how we got thrown off the train in Aachen.
• Why the expensive ÖBB Nightjet is really not that expensive.
• Ticket Distribution: the failure of railways to sell themselves.
• To use night trains in Portugal and Spain or not?.
• Night trains in Europe.
• Low-cost, long-haul trains to conquer Europe?.
• Fly now before it’s taxed and consider using the train instead.

Channel Tunnel updates

• Virgin Trains takes major step towards London–Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam services.
• Eurostar to offer direct, no-train-changing London to Antwerp services from December 2026.
• EUROSTAR | From Brussels to London in Eurostar Plus (2026).
• TRENITALIA | FS Group orders 19 high-speed trains for expansion in France and Paris – London route.
• A loop as a creative solution for serving Cologne Main Station on a Frankfurt to London route?.
• Switzerland – United Kingdom direct train moves closer as SBB-CFF-FFS, SNCF Voyageurs and Eurostar sign memorandum of understanding.
• A London-bound Eurostar terminal at Antwerp-Central? Highly unlikely!.
• #CROSSCHANNELRAIL | Expanding UK-Europe train links most realistically leading to Switzerland.
• Eurostar unveils €2 billion Alstom ‘Celestia’ fleet of double-decker sustainable trains.
• Gemini Trains partners with Uber for Stratford to France Channel Tunnel route.
• Eurostar and St. Pancras Highspeed back major station expansion to double capacity amid growing international demand.
• EUROSTAR | London – Frankfurt, London – Geneva and Amsterdam – Antwerp – Brussels – Geneva from 2030?.
• Alstom wants its double-decker trains to ride through Channel Tunnel.
• London St. Pancras Highspeed pledges financial support for cross-Channel rail services.
• London St Pancras Highspeed and Getlink aspire to to triple train services to France, Belgium and the Netherlands and add services to Germany and Switzerland.
• Heuro wants to operate high speeds trains between Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Paris and London from 2028.