Direct award to NS against European Commission’s wishes could prove costly, Dutch ministry admits
A typical yellow-blue NS train passing a windmill in the Netherlands Marcel van den Bos | Shutterstock
If the Netherlands goes through with awarding NS the main railway net concession without a tender process and the European court were to rule this illegitimate, the Dutch government could face a fine of at least 3.8 million euros, and without a maximum, according to Dutch State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen.
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“A forced choice of public procurement will lead to “uncertainty on the Dutch railways for passengers and taxpayers”, according to the State Secretary.”
Hahaha, she is always travelling by car. Passengers experience uncertainty every day.
NS had the opportunity during many years to prove that they are the best choice for running the Netherlands Railway system in the future. But every day they fail. Many services are cancelled, most trains are dirty. Too many delays, to many missed connections.
I didn’t need an answer when i asked: could it be any worse….
Despite NS’s poor perfomance, my personal trust in a railway network cut up with multiple operators like Arriva and Keolis, is even lower.