Arriva Group announces first Open Access night trains to start operations in the Netherlands

Arriva Netherlands will start operating its first night trains from Maastricht to Schiphol on December 16 this year, following its successful Open Access application, made just eighteen months ago.

The night train will connect Maastricht in the south of the country with major cities in the Netherlands and with Schiphol Airport.  Services will run weekly on a Friday night through into Saturday morning.  A second service is launching from Groningen in the north-east to Schiphol in January 2023. It is the first-time Open Access services have launched in the Netherlands.

Domestic Open Access in the Netherlands became possible for the first-time in 2021, following the implementation of EU legislation and regulatory reform.  The services will be the first domestic Open Access service in the Netherlands and Arriva’s first market outside of the UK to be given approval for domestic Open Access operations.  This operating model means the train operator carries all the associated costs and risks with the services, without any government concession or subsidy. 

The new service will mean that travel by rail during the night is available for the first time, connecting with early morning flight departures from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. This has not previously been possible and has the potential to take cars off the road, reducing local airport traffic and pollution.

Anne Hettinga, CEO Arriva Netherlands and Management Board member of the Arriva Group said: “This is a historic moment for the Netherlands and for Arriva and I’m proud that we seized this opportunity and have managed to mobilise in record time by using trains that would otherwise be idle during the night - and just eighteen months after making our original application.  Through these services, Arriva is growing the national rail network and providing additional options for people to make use of public transport connections, instead of cars”.

Arriva expects to be able to offer more rail connections in Open Access within a few years.  Anne Hettinga points out that: “The introduction of Open Access has already proved a successful strategy in other European countries. For example, in Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom, prices have fallen because of Open Access, while the quality of service has improved as a result of increased competition and new entrants to the market”.

Arriva already has considerable experience operating domestic Open Access routes through its train operating company Grand Central, which is part of its UK Trains business unit.  Grand Central has connected London Kings Cross, Yorkshire and the Northeast since 2007.