Everyone wants more options and Dutch public transport company Qbuzz wants to give us what we need — more trains to Germany and France. Hoera!
Starting January 2027, Qbuzz wants to run seven daily trains from Amsterdam to both Berlin and Paris. To make it happen, they’ll receive an investment of €200 million from the Italian parent organisation, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.
A buzz of luxury
Qbuzz is known for its buses in and around Utrecht and Groningen. If Qbuzz is allowed to expand from buses into offering international trains, the parent company will provide money to give travellers a luxurious experience. How? Frecciarossa wagons. 🤩
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What’s so special about these Frecciarossa wagons, you ask? Well, they are very snazzy and comfy trains.
“We will use this to buy Frecciarossa wagons, very nice trains that are already running in Italy, France and Spain,” Qbuzz director Gerrit Spijksma tells de Volkskrant.
Maybe you haven’t heard of Qbuzz before this, and maybe the jump to international trains seems like a giant leap. But director Spijksma doesn’t think Qbuzz should be underestimated. “We are a subsidiary of the Italian Railways. My shareholder has been running trains there since 2000.”
Enthusiasm for more train routes
Multiple transport companies have been trying to play bigger roles on the Dutch railway for years, reports de Volkskrant. Helaas, the Dutch state-owned travel company, NS, currently dominates Dutch railways.
Don’t get disheartened yet, because there is hope. State Secretary of Infrastructure Vivianne Heijnen is considering opening the market for international train connections to competition from 2025. Transport companies have until June 14 to suggest new train services.
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Competition companies FlixTrain, Arriva, and now Qbuzz, have been offering their services and sparking excitement at the prospect of new train routes. More parties will offer more, including the NS — which means that we’ll get more and more destinations!
However, it is a waiting game to see if international routes will actually be opened up. We hope to hear the final decision by the end of August. Fingers crossed! 🤞
Would you use this new train route? Tell us in the comments!