‘Dutch Railways NS has no incentive to serve its competitors well’

Dutch Railways NS currently has no real incentive to serve its competitors well. Alternatively, it could even be argued NS has a perverse incentive, because other rail companies are competitors too.

This is what the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) on April 11 argued during the roundtable discussion with the Dutch House of Representatives on the rail market.

The instruments ACM has for overseeing the services provided by NS are far from ideal. It should be considered to have the services that NS provides, and which other rail companies are dependent on, be separated from NS, or it should at least be considered to tighten the rules that apply to these services.