Currently, it takes 6,5 hours to get from Amsterdam to Berlin on the train. In order to have train journeys be seen as an alternative for flights, this time needs to be significantly reduced.
NS and ProRail are committed to cutting down travel time between Amsterdam and Berlin to just four hours, and they have the support of the government behind them. This week, members of NS, ProRail and the government will travel to Germany to put the wheels in motion, so to speak, and make such a journey possible in a few years.
In addition to talks in Germany, NS is planning on ordering 12 new locomotives, which will be able to travel on tracks in both the Netherlands and Germany. This saves time, as locomotives will no longer have to be changed at the border. These developments supplant previous news that the plans for a quicker service between Amsterdam and Berlin had been put on hold.
According to ProRail chief executive Pier Eringa, NS, ProRail, KLM and Schiphol all agree that taking the train is a good alternative to flying. Eringa also states that both travelling modes should be seen as complementary to one another, not competing, and that the train should be taken, when possible, instead of a flight.
These four previously mentioned companies want to put trains in a stronger position when it comes to short distance travel. Of course, for trains to be seen as an alternative to a short distance flight, the price will need to be more competitive.
In order for quicker journeys to be possible, European train systems need to be more in sync with each other. At this moment in time, many systems are being used. According to Eringa, these need to be transformed into one system. There are, of course, other factors that could speed up journeys, such as being allowed to drive faster on certain train routes and limiting stops along the way.