Concession and Transport Plan

Ambition

The motto in both our previous and current strategy was clear: to make sure the traveller comes first, second and third. That same premise is present in our transport concession, and brings with it certain expectations and obligations: 'We aim to offer every public transport passenger a pleasant travel experience, including during the coronavirus outbreak. Together with our partners, we have raised the bar in order to better serve travellers and the Netherlands as a whole.

Better cooperation

NS and ProRail work intensively with one another and with the other parties in the rail and public transport sector. Special Improvement Programmes were also established, that ProRail and NS implement together. One important programme was 'Beter en Meer' (Better and More), which among other things facilitated high-frequency travel along the A2 corridor, as well as the implementation of the European security system, ERTMS. The requirements that ProRail and NS must meet have also been better coordinated with one another and with the concessions for regional rail companies. All of this is aimed at continually improving the traveler's journey from door to door.

Each year, NS draws up a transport plan for the coming year in which NS explains how it will comply with the obligation of care pertaining to the new concession for the Dutch main railway network. In the transport plan, we link our ambitions and objectives to concrete activities and performance indicators for the coming year, in order to ensure that we can achieve our goals over the period of the concession.

The plan also describes the priorities formulated by the State Secretary for Infrastructure and Environment in an annual policy priority brief. NS aims to continue to improve its services, and in the plan it explains how the company will translate the travellers' wishes into concrete actions over the coming year and beyond.

Dialogue

In order to realise the transport plan objectives, we communicate with consumer organisations, regional and local governments and ProRail to ask them for advice, requests and suggestions. We then use this input to help us refine and improve the transport plan.