Dutch rail newcomer GoVolta has received regulatory approval to carry passengers between Dutch stations as part of its international train services, potentially giving travellers more options on routes to cities including Paris, Berlin, Cologne, Strasbourg, and Luxembourg.
The Dutch competition regulator, the Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM), concluded that GoVolta’s operations would not significantly undermine the economic balance of the mainline rail concession operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). The assessment was requested by NS to determine the potential impact on its concession.
GoVolta initially intended to carry only international passengers. After launching its Amsterdam to Berlin service in March, however, the company found that trains often had spare seats on the Dutch section of the journey and sought permission to sell domestic tickets as well.
Domestic passengers from 28 September
From 28 September, passengers will be able to travel between Dutch stations on GoVolta’s Amsterdam–Berlin trains. The service will call at Amsterdam Central, Hilversum, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, Deventer, and Hengelo.
The permission also applies to the company’s Amsterdam–Paris trains, which are due to start running on 14 December. Those trains will stop at Haarlem, The Hague Dutch Rail (Den Haag Hollands Spoor), Rotterdam Central, Lage Zwaluwe, and Roosendaal, allowing passengers to travel between the Dutch stations as well as to Paris.
GoVolta operates its Amsterdam–Berlin trains in partnership with Keolis, which operates the trains, and Brouwer Technology, which handles maintenance.
Expansion beyond Berlin and Paris
The ACM ruling also covers GoVolta’s proposed international connections from December 2027: twice-daily trains from The Hague Central to Luxembourg and Strasbourg, three daily services to Cologne, and three daily Amsterdam–Paris trains using the high-speed line.
GoVolta has also previously announced ambitions to reach Basel and Munich after 2027.
The regulatory approval does not automatically give GoVolta the right to run all these trains. The company must still apply for and obtain railway capacity from Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail. If there is insufficient capacity for all applicants, trains operating under public-service concessions receive priority.
ACM expects limited impact on NS
NS requested the economic equilibrium test because GoVolta’s trains use sections of the Dutch mainline network covered by NS’s concession. The operator wanted to establish whether the competition could lead to significant losses or affect the financial arrangements underpinning the concession.
The ACM concluded that no significant negative impact on NS is expected. It said the benefits to passengers from new services and additional passenger kilometres would be relatively large compared with the reduction in passenger kilometres on services covered by the NS concession.
The decision follows a similar ruling allowing Arriva to develop international services to Paris from Amersfoort and The Hague Central.
GoVolta has positioned itself as a low-cost rail operator and an alternative to short- and medium-distance flights and car journeys. Its first Amsterdam–Berlin trains began operating in March.
The company now has regulatory clearance to expand its presence on the Dutch railway network, with the availability of rail capacity determining when the additional connections can actually operate.
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