The Dutch state-owned rail operator NS is about to get some private competition, with a new company taking advantage of the EU’s Open Access rules that require national rail networks to allow competing operators.
The Dutch startup GoVolta will begin operating routes to Hamburg and Berlin in March, with Dutch stops in Amsterdam, Amersfoort, Deventer and Hengelo, with two trains per week in each direction. It also plans a Paris route that would go by way of Ghent rather than Antwerp and Brussels; if approved, that will start in April.
Almost all international services in the Netherlands are handled by NS except for the Eurostar trains that connect Amsterdam to Belgium, France and Germany.
GoVolta’s operation will remain small until it gains traction; its routes are arranged to use its limited supply of trains on alternating routes. Despite not being a high-speed service, it hopes to build a following by offering low-cost fares; its initial offering makes the first 100 tickets on each train only €10 each.
