Quintus Vosman

THE Netherlands became one of the first countries to switch completely to contactless smartcard fare collection on July 8, when paper tickets were abolished on the mainline network after 175 years.

THE Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure has allocated €17m for measures to improve international regional services between Groningen and northeast Germany via the Nieuweschans – Leer border crossing, with the aim of extending Groningen – Leer services to Bremen.

THE NEW CEO of Netherlands Railways (NS) Mr Timo Huges, has informed the Dutch secretary of state for infrastructure Mrs Wilma Mansveld that NS will not acquire any new inter-city rolling stock before 2021.

THE municipal government of The Hague and Arriva have abandoned plans to launch an open-access cross-border service linking the Dutch city with Brussels, which was due to begin operating in December 2015.

THE Ministry of Infrastructure and Agriculture for the German state of Brandenburg has initiated a tendering process for the direct award of a contract to operate regional passenger services on the Prignitz network northwest of Berlin.

BELGIAN infrastructure manager Infrabel has started test operations in the newly-completed Liefkenshoek rail tunnel in the port of Antwerp the final phase of the project before the launch of commercial operations in December.

PUBLIC transport authorities in the German states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Bavaria have revealed plans to step-up cross-border regional services into the Czech Republic.

GERMANY's railfreight industry has seen its strongest first quarter growth since 2011 according to figures released on June 4 by the Federal Statics Agency (Destatis), which show quarterly volumes climbed 4.4% year-on-year to 92 million tonnes.

RHINE-Main Transport Authority (RMV), Westfalen-Lippe Transport Authority (MWL) and North Hessen Transport Authority (NVV) have issued a prior information notice for a contract to operate the so-called North Hessen Network for 15-years from December 2017.

NETHERLANDS Railways (NS) is to rebrand its NS Hispeed operations NS International from June 15 as the operator seeks to restore the image of its high-speed operations following the Fyra crisis.