Moving people and cargo from A to B

As the principal government official for railways, it is my responsibility to offer the millions of people who use the Dutch public transport system the best service possible. Fortunately I am not alone when it comes to doing the hard work. Together with the various Dutch rail companies and ProRail (our infrastructure provider) we’re working day and night to move people and cargo from A to B.

This is no small feat considering the com – plexity of our railway system and the length of our tracks; 7,000km. To give you some idea, that’s from Holland to Siberia, deep into the heart of Russia. For every kilometre the system counts one switch or crossing. Each day, 6,000 trains travel from one place to the next, carrying more than one million passengers and many tonnes of cargo.

Our rail system functions well. Still, such a complex and heavily burdened network is prone to disturbances. Sub-zero temperatures, heavy snowfall and severe storms that disrupt the system in one place, can quickly cause havoc in a number of other places. It’s one of the drawbacks of such an intricate network; fall-out spreads rapidly.

We all expect a well-tuned railway on which reliable trains transport passengers comfortably and safely to their desired destinations on time. So, how do we do this?

First of all, our railway network should be better guarded to work in extreme weather conditions. Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) – the biggest Dutch railway company – adjusts train timetables when extreme weather is expected. Fewer trains mean fewer fall-outs when things do go wrong. As a result, more trains travel on time. Because commuters can check the adjusted timetables on their computer or mobile phone, this leads to less hassle and frustration.

Secondly, I want our national railway network to fit tightly within the other public transport networks such as trams, buses and the underground. People care about getting to their destination in a comfortable and timely fashion. They do not care about the mode of transport. This is why I want to focus on creating a national public transport network. Of course, provisions for cars (Park + Ride) and bicycles need to be optimal too. Especially since bikes are still our main mode of transport within cities.

Besides our national network, I am also keen on investing in better railway connections with neighbouring countries. Minimising barriers in services and train timetables is my main objective. A new high-speed service between the southern Dutch city of Breda and the Belgian city of Antwerp will start in April 2013. This service complements the existing high-speed services from Amsterdam to Antwerp, Brussels, Paris, Cologne, Frankfurt and Basel.

To enhance the quality and safety of (international) train transport, the Dutch government will implement the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) from 2016 onwards. Four sections of Dutch railroads are already equipped with this new safety system. The 160km cargo track between the port of Rotterdam and Germany is one. The 125km high-speed railway between Amsterdam and Belgium is another. ERTMS improves both safety and the capacity of our railways due to the possibility of increased cruising speed. The result means a shorter journey, more train connections and thus improved doorto- door mobility.

It goes without saying that freight transport from our major harbours to Germany and Belgium also require sound and solid international agreements. Better cooperation is needed to make international rail transport more efficient and more sustainable. I therefore welcome the recently signed decision between seven European countries (including the Netherlands) to set up a ‘one-stop-shop’ for each of the respective rail freight corridors (Rotterdam/Antwerp-Cologne-Basel-Genoa and Rotterdam-Antwerp-Luxemburg- Lyon/Basel) for allocating international train paths.

It is obvious that European cooperation is paramount if we want to achieve a safe, reliable and sustainable railway network. This coopera tion concerns not only governments, but also companies. Without it, passengers and cargo will be left stranded at the borders of our countries. It is all our jobs to prevent this from happening – it is all our jobs to get them from A to B.