The Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) is not adopting Dutch train passengers union Rover‘s proposal to extend the EuroCity Brussels-South to Breda route to Eindhoven Central instead of Rotterdam Central, the organisation states.
Rover made this proposal due to the growing demand for transport from the Eindhoven region, driven by, among other things, the strong growth of ASML.
ASML Holding N.V. (originally standing for Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography) is a Dutch multinational corporation that develops and manufactures photolithography machines which are used to produce integrated circuits. It is the largest supplier for the semiconductor industry, as well as the most advanced producer of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines that are required to manufacture the most advanced chips.
Moreover, the connection from Rotterdam Central to Belgium is also offered via EuroCity Direct, a train that is much faster and even overtakes EuroCity. However, NS indicates that passenger numbers on EuroCity are developing positively and believes the current combination of a fast and a more regional connection aligns well with passenger demand between the Netherlands and Belgium.
According to Rover, this can be achieved just as effectively by extending EuroCity to Eindhoven, and a new route for EuroCity could actually lead to much stronger passenger growth.
Rover intends to discuss this further with NS and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the coming period. Ideally, in addition to the alternative route for EuroCity,
Rover would also like to see the number of EuroCity Direct trains doubled so that there is a fast connection between the Randstad and Belgium every half hour.
The Randstad (‘Rim City‘ or ‘Edge City‘) is a roughly crescent- or arc-shaped conurbation in the Netherlands, that includes almost half the country’s population. With a central-western location, it connects and comprises the Netherlands’ four biggest cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht), their suburbs, and many towns in between, that all grew and merged into each other.
Among other things, it includes the Port of Rotterdam, the Port of Amsterdam, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. It has a population of approximately 8.4 million people.
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