Dutch regulator: Arriva's trains to Paris are allowed in principle

The Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has cleared a major obstacle to Arriva’s planned train service to Paris, ruling that the operator’s request for so-called open access to tracks is allowed in principle.

Since 2021, operators have been able to request track access without holding the concession for that part of the network. Arriva wants to run trains from Amersfoort and The Hague to Paris and has filed such a request.

As a concession holder, NS asked the ACM to review the request. The regulator now says the services are, in principle, allowed.

Arriva aims to start the international services in 2028. Whether that will actually happen remains uncertain. The company still has to request capacity from infrastructure manager ProRail, and there may not be enough room, the ACM said.

With Eurostar as a partner, NS already runs international trains on the Dutch stretches of those routes.

With other operators now able to use the portion of the network awarded to NS, competition could increase. “This is an important step in the process, and we are very pleased,” an Arriva spokesperson said.

Arriva also welcomed the ACM’s finding that the services would bring a net benefit for passengers.

NS, however, criticized the review of Arriva’s request. The company said the assessment may focus too narrowly on the single application, while NS rivals have sought access for additional services.

“We have modest reservations, because there are more open-access routes. Those add up,” an NS spokesperson said.

NS fears that would undermine the financial assumptions behind profitable service on the main rail network. It is those assumptions that were at the base of NS’s concession agreement with the government.