NS International

NS International, formerly NS Hispeed, is a passenger railway operator based in the Netherlands that operates international intercity and high-speed connections to several European cities. It is a subsidiary of the Dutch state-owned railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). History During 2007, the former international subdivision of the Dutch state-owned railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), NS Internationaal, was reorganised and rebranded as NS Hispeed. Orientated on providing international passenger services between the Netherlands and neighbouring European countries, it promptly became a founding member of the Railteam alliance, with a 10% share in the group. To facilitate the operation of high speed services, NS Hispeed proceeded with the procurement of new suitable rolling stock. In 2004, NS International and NMBS/SNCB had jointly ordered 19 V250 train sets from the Italian rolling stock manufacturer AnsaldoBreda for operations between Amsterdam and Brussels and Breda on the HSL-Zuid and HSL 4 high speed railway lines. However, difficulties with the order soon became apparent; the initial delivery date was scheduled to take place in 2007 By 2008, deliveries were not anticipated until early 2009, while the introduction into service date was pushed back to the middle of 2009. NS Hispeed claimed that the delay was primarily due to the lack of a formal ETCS level 2 specification; financial assistance in the form of reorganised track access charges for the unused HSL-Zuid line had to be arranged with the Dutch government. On 7 July 2009, the new high speed service, branded Fyra, was introduced along with the formal presentation of the prototype V250 train at the high speed train depot at Watergraafsmeer in the Netherlands. However, by this point the expected in-service date has been pushed back to Autumn 2010. In July 2010, the Dutch transport minister Camiel Eurlings stated that the commencement of commercial V250 services on Dutch high speed lines would not take place until December 2011. It would not be until September 2012 - roughly five years later than planned, - that a limited service of one return train per three hours in the Netherlands began in September 2012 between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.