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.

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.

ALL traction power for the Dutch railway network will come from wind turbines under a new energy contract signed on May 15 between power company Eneco and Vivens, an energy procurement joint venture which includes Netherlands Railways (NS), Veolia, Arriva, Connexxion and railfreight operators.

CAPTRAIN, the international railfreight subsidiary of French National Railways' logistics unit SNCF-Geodis, has restructured the management of its Dutch and port services businesses, placing them under the control of Captrain Germany.

AUTHORITIES in northwest Germany and the Netherlands have reached an agreement to finance a new cross-border regional service between Bielefeld, Osnabrück, and Hengelo as part of the new Teutoburger Wald regional concession, which is due to start in December 2017.

BELGIAN National Railways (SNCB) has agreed a €2.5m settlement with AnsaldoBreda over its cancelled contract for three V250 high-speed trains, ending legal proceedings against the Italian manufacturer over the much-maligned rolling stock for the now abandoned Fyra service.

An innovative concept for turnouts functioning in sub-zero temperatures that eliminates the need for a point heater has been developed by Dutch mechanical design engineer, Richard de Roos, at his own risk and expense.