Locov is positive about plans for the 2025 timetable, but critical of the connection with Belgium

The Locov is largely positive about NS’s intention to bring back a large part of the canceled train services in the 2025 timetable. The consumer organizations that provide advice to NS in the Locov are critical of the connections with Belgium, which do not meet the transport demand of travelers.

In February, NS announced that it wants to run around 1,600 extra trains by 2025. The timetable is being expanded, especially at the edges of the day, and some connections are being restored after they were abolished during the corona pandemic and as a result of serious staff shortages.

Recovery of the number of travelers

Locov is pleased that NS is doing its best to make the train more attractive for travelers: “We are convinced that this will contribute to restoring the number of travelers to the level that NS transported pre-corona,” Locov writes in the advice. “It is also a good basis for further growth in the number of travelers, not only with NS but also with public transport in the region (bus, tram, metro and decentralized train services).”

Merge Belgian ICs

However, the Locov does recommend more than 16,000 weekly kilometers of additional train services. Moreover, the advice platform is critical of the proposed connections with Belgium, such as the extra, fast, intercity to Brussels. For example, Locov calls it unattractive that the slow IC is being overtaken by the fast one and the domestic intercity between Antwerp and Brussels, which also stopped at stations such as Vilvoorde, is being canceled. “The cancellation of the domestic express train is a very undesirable deterioration for travelers within Belgium,” Locov writes. Rover mentions that the solution is to merge the fast IC Brussels with the domestic intercity to Charleroi: “This means that the train does not have to skip stations, the travel time saving of 40 minutes remains and no Belgian stops have to disappear.”

It is now up to NS to work on the advice of the Locov. The final timetable will follow later in the year.