NETHERLANDS: The provinces of Overijssel and Drenthe have selected current operator Arriva for the next Vechtdal Lines contract to operate regional passenger services on the 76 km Zwolle – Emmen and 19 km Almelo – Mariënberg – Hardenberg routes.
The contract runs for 15 years from December 2028, with the provinces to provide a subsidy of €12m to €15m per year, depending on ridership.
Arriva has operated the routes since 2012. It said ridership and customer satisfaction have risen thanks to an improved timetable and new trains which have laid the foundation for the future. From 2028 there will be a half-hourly service on the Almelo – Hardenberg route for most of the day, while the Zwolle – Emmen route will gain and earlier and later trains and more peak services.
Arriva will modernise the 15 Stadler GTW electric multiple-units, which will be reliveried from blue and white to the purple, blue and green RRReis regional colour scheme used in Flevoland, Gelderland and Overijssel. Capacity will be increased, including for bicycles, the seats reupholstered and USB plugs and folding tables provided.
Overijssel is to order five four-car Stadler Flirt3 EMUs to accommodate additional demand expected once the Almelo – Mariënberg line is electrified, when the current Alstom Lint 41 DMUs will be withdrawn.
‘We are very much looking forward to this next period and are completely ready to implement our plans’, Arriva’s regional director Annemarie Hoogeveen said when the contract win was announced on July 1.
Keolis and QBuzz had also bid.
‘Together with Overijssel, we have chosen a transport company that puts comfort, quality and the traveller first’ said Drenthe provincial council member responsible for transport Henk Jumelet. ‘With this concession, we will offer a reliable and future-proof train connection that suits the daily travel needs of our residents. In this way, we are building attractive public transport that travellers can count on.’
