The Dutch municipalities of Almere and Lelystad have approved plans for Arriva to run extra night trains to connect Schiphol, Amsterdam, Almere, Lelystad and Zwolle. Starting from March 14, 2025, additional trains will run on Friday and Saturday nights as part of a two-year pilot.
On Fridays and Saturdays during the night and into the early morning, Arriva will run an additional train from Zwolle to Lelystad Centrum (1.45am), Almere Centrum (1.59am), Amsterdam Centraal (2.19am) and finally Schiphol Airport (2.41am) before making a return journey to Zwolle stopping at the same stations.
The night train will run for a trial period of two years, after which it will be evaluated to determine if it will be continued. Tickets which can be purchased on the Arriva travel app Glimble, via the 9292 app or on the train itself will cost 5, 10 or 15 euros depending on the length of the journey. Arriva already runs a night train service to Schiphol from Groningen and Maastricht.
The new public transport service is taking advantage of the “open access” principle in place since 2019 that ensures all train companies in Europe can make use of existing rail infrastructure. Subsidised by Almere and Lelystad, each municipality is contributing 100.000 euros per year for the night train with the contribution decreasing as more train tickets are sold.
According to Treinreiziger, the NS was surprised by the arrangement with a subsidy. The state-owned rail company had previously made an offer for the same route but withdrew it under the assumption that subsidies weren’t permitted under open access. “We wouldn’t have withdrawn if we knew subsidies were an option,” said an NS spokesperson. “This development is disappointing, and we will contact the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management for clarification.”
The municipality of Almere reported that it initially assumed that a contribution was not permitted, but after seeking legal advice it turned out that they could go forward with a subsidy, allowing Arriva to run the new night train. Objections to the use of subsidies for the arrangement can be lodged until mid-February - if there are none, the plans will continue for the proposed launch in March.
Thumb image credit: Bjoern Wylezich / Shutterstock.com