Dutch rail infrastructure manager ProRail has completed its allocation of rail capacity for the 2027 timetable, which will include more passenger trains and international services but also highlights growing pressure on the country’s increasingly congested rail network.
The new timetable starts on 13 December 2026 and runs until 11 December 2027. ProRail allocated capacity to more than 30 operators, as well as freight services and infrastructure works, resolving more than 50,000 conflicts between competing requests to produce an executable timetable.
The number of passenger trains is expected to rise by more than 2.5% compared with 2026. ProRail says the increase will mainly come from higher frequencies on existing routes and the expansion of international services. Some new services are already known, including GoVolta’s planned train to Paris and the continuation of European Sleeper’s night train to Milan through the Netherlands.
Freight operators have also requested more capacity. The number of requested freight trains is around 4% higher than in 2026, although the actual number of trains that will run will depend heavily on economic conditions and developments during the year.
More interest in open-access services
ProRail received more applications for open-access services than in previous years. These are trains operated without a government concession and include many international services, as well as domestic initiatives by operators seeking to compete alongside the concessioned services.
However, ProRail was unable to accommodate all the requests. On the Groningen–Zwolle route, for example, applications for open-access trains competed with services operated under a concession. Because the number of trains that can use the route is limited, statutory priority rules mean that concessioned services take precedence.
ProRail does not disclose which operators submitted applications or which specific services were rejected. The growing number of applications nevertheless indicates increasing interest from operators in using the Dutch railway network.
The Groningen–Zwolle corridor has already illustrated the difficulties faced by open-access operators. Arriva was allocated a significant number of train paths for the current timetable and announced plans to operate services on the route, but has so far not started them. The company has cited uncertainty over the validity of the Dutch student travel product on open-access trains.
Engineering works add to the pressure
Capacity allocation is also becoming more complicated because of the amount of work required on the Dutch railway network. Whenever tracks are closed for maintenance or renewal, trains cannot run.
“The number of works is growing because much of the post-war infrastructure needs to be replaced,” ProRail said. The Dutch network is also connected to neighbouring countries where maintenance activity is increasing, affecting domestic timetable planning.
Although around 3% fewer hours of incidental capacity closures for engineering works are planned in 2027 than in 2026, some works will take place more frequently on weekdays. This could increase disruption for passengers and freight customers despite the overall reduction in planned closure hours.
ProRail says the railway network faces a structural shortage of capacity as demand continues to grow. Passenger and freight transport, international rail services and new initiatives by operators are all expected to increase demand in the coming years.
“At the same time, the space on the railway is limited,” ProRail said. “Therefore, important choices are on the agenda in the coming years about the organisation of the rail sector, the entry of new operators and the way rail capacity is allocated.”
New rules for railway capacity planning and allocation are also being developed in the Netherlands and at European level. In addition, the Dutch government is expected to decide early next year how passenger rail services on the main network should be organised after 2033, when NS’s current concession expires.
The 2027 timetable therefore points in two directions at once: more trains are being planned, but competition for limited capacity is becoming increasingly intense.
