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.
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