NS and ProRail sign 10-year railway concession

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Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) and ProRail have been granted a ‘license to operate’ the Dutch rail network for the next 10 years.

Dutch Transport Minister Wilma Mansveld has signed a new 10-year deal with the chief executive of ProRail, Patrick Buck, and NS chief executive Timo Huges on December 15.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Dutch government will be able to fine NS and ProRail €6.5 million and €2.75 million a year if they fail to meet certain performance targets.

Patrick Buck said: “I realise that we do not get pats on [the back] when the trains run on time. And rightly so. The track is like tap water, electricity from the mains and the gas from the stove – trains to drive.

“A 100 per cent error-free track does not exist in our busy track, but we do have the responsibility to prevent these failures as much as possible. We can do better. Therefore, reducing the number of failures and the shortening of the fault recovery are important pillars.”

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