On 1 March, NS presented its new strategy ‘Spoorslags Beter’. With this strategy, we are focusing on our core activities with the aim of improving performance for passengers. NS is concentrating on achieving the agreed franchise KPIs by 2019. At the same time, NS is very much a company that is geared to the long term. Over the next few decades, the Netherlands will be facing major economic, social and sustainability challenges. NS is keen to help meet the challenge of creating good connections that meet the demands of passengers, companies and institutions.

Why have a new strategy?

NS has been performing better on average in recent years. But that does not apply to all routes or all passengers. Also, merely ‘good’ is not good enough. Passengers want a comfortable journey from door to door, in a clean, punctual train with sufficient seats and good Wi-Fi connections, via world-class stations. The bar has been set high. Rightly so. We are a socially relevant company, tasked with helping the Netherlands to get ahead. To achieve this ambition, we want to make further improvements in our performance over the next few years.
The complications relating to Fyra and the irregularities in Limburg have damaged our reputation. These affairs have shown a side of NS that is not worthy of us. It is up to NS to regain the trust of our passengers. In the ‘Spoorslags Beter’ strategy document, we do that by making clear-cut choices in the interests of our passengers.
In the new strategy, NS has made choices aimed at improving performance in the period to 2019. The mid-term review of the main rail network franchise will take place in 2019. The government will assess whether NS has achieved the agreed targets for the performance indicators. The intention is that passengers will already notice the changes from 2017.