Ronald van Belzen, former policy advisor rail, Netherlands
The Netherlands: how to run one of the busiest railways in Europe ! ! ! ▪ Ronald van Belzen, former policy advisor rail, Netherlands Ministry of Transport ! ! 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… ▪ Finse: +1222 ▪ Waddinxveen: -5.5 (under sea level!) City patterns define mobility and network • • 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 ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ 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
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