Ronald van Belzen, former policy advisor rail, Netherlands

The Netherlands: how to run one of the busiest railways in Europe
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▪ Ronald van Belzen, former policy advisor rail,
Netherlands Ministry of Transport
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Jernbaneforum 17 March 2015
Overview
▪ role of passenger transport
▪ role of freight transport
▪ organisation
▪ concessions
▪ experiences in tendering
▪ Dutch view on competition
▪ observations on competition in Norway
Geography, history, economy, culture…
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Finse: +1222
▪ Waddinxveen: -5.5
(under sea level!)
City patterns define mobility and network
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Randstad (west): 4 main cities, 7 million
people
comparable to metropolitan area like Paris
Rail network
• dense network, many
stations
• high utilisation, like
Switzerland and
Japan
• urban areas:
4 intercities and 4
commuter trains per
hour (‘4/4’)
Passenger transport
▪ 1.2 million journeys per day
▪ modal share rail: 10%
▪ rush hours: 40-50% of commuters arrive in cities by train
▪ rail is good at mass transport between bigger cities
▪ growth 2004-2013: 25%
▪ exclusive contract Netherlands Railways for main
network
▪ 42% arrive at station by bike, 15% use bike after train!
Where’s my bike?
Solution: underground bike parks (12.500 bikes)
Copyright: Ectorhoogstad Architecten
Copyright: Ectorhoogstad Architecten
OV-fiets ‘public transport bike’: bike rental at 257 stations Kr 30/day, operated by Netherlands Railways
Rail freight: good at heavy flows between industrial
centers
▪ 90%
international
(Rhine corridor)
▪ NL = transport
hub
▪ modal share: 5%
▪ Rotterdam:
intention is 20%
of containers by
rail
shuttle trains for
containers
Rail freight market
▪ market completely liberalised; free access
▪ national freight operator sold to DB (Germany)
▪ circa 15 operators
▪ many mergers and acquisitions
▪ many companies owned by state railways
▪ spectacular growth ; 1993-2013: more than 100%
Structure of the sector
REG.
BODY
FREIGHT
TOC’S
contracts
ProRail
CONS.
ORG.
NS
(infracapacity, infracharges, quality)
concession
supervision
on safety
EU
Directives
concession
MIN.
TRANSP.
supervision
on safety
concession
REG.
GOV
Railway
Legislation
GOV
14
15th December 2014: new concessions 2015-2025
Inframanager ProRail – Ministry – Netherlands Railways
Concessions 2015-2025
▪ every year plan with concrete performance indicators
▪ transport: punctuality, passenger satisfaction, etc.
▪ infra: availability, reliability, handling disturbances,
etc.
▪ Ministry monitors, can intervene and impose fines
▪ Regulatory Body monitors competition elements
!
▪ transport concession is an exclusive right: in principle
one operator on a line
Regional tendering: success story
• traditionally: one
state operator
• tendering since
2000
• simple lines,
single track, to
regional centers
• only 5% of total
rail transport
Regional tendering: results
▪ local authorities responsible
▪ subsidy from the state
▪ concessions for 10 or 15 years
▪ often combined with local bus transport
▪ strong efficiency gains (up to 25%)
▪ more trains, more passengers
▪ ‘revival’ of the regional trains
▪ strong supervision of regulatory body on abuse of
power
But not everything is running smoothly in the Netherlands…
Failure of High Speed Line South tender
▪ new high-speed line: Amsterdam – Brussels
▪ infrastructure (incl. ERTMS): succesful PPP project
▪ complex tender for international and national transport
▪
▪
▪
▪
(2001)
Netherlands Railways won, but bid was very high
trains unfit and returned to the producer (2014)
renegotiatons: line integrated in the national concession
Parliamentery Investigation
Other developments
▪ social security; violence towards train staff
▪ disturbances in infra (electricity, signalling, switches)
▪ dense network: disturbances spread quickly ▪ ‘black days’ with system out of control
▪ common operational control centre since 2013
▪ winter preparedness: emergency plans ▪ 2014: one smartcard for all journeys; train, tram, bus
Future plans
▪ Long Term Railway Agenda (2013): first focus on
▪
▪
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quality and reliability; integration with other
transport modes
no major new infrastructure projects
higher frequencies on existing infrastructure
6 intercities, 6 commuter trains
ERTMS master plan
no PPP-projects foreseen, but stations are being
developed with public and commercial financing
Dutch view on competition (4th railway package)
▪ main network: high frequencies, complex timetable,
vulnerable to disruptions, intense coopereration
between main operator and IM
▪ NL sees advantages of tendering in some cases, but is
against mandatory tendering
▪ NL thinks the current concession system, with
incentives and monitoring by the ministry, is more
effective to guarantee a good output
▪ support in national parliament and public opinion
And future competition in Norway?
▪ many lines in Norway are like the ‘regional lines’ in The
▪
▪
▪
▪
Netherlands
but network integrity could be a problem around Oslo
institutional setting ok: full separation, functioning regulatory
body
lesson from NL: start with simple and manageable projects if
possible; megaprojects bear many risks, especially with new
trains or technology (ERTMS)
ensure ticket integration
Thank you for your attention
ronny.van.belzen@miniem.nl