A rail and bus concession in the Netherlands, which had been awarded to state operator NS, has been handed to Arriva following claims about irregularities in the tendering process.
The £1.4 billion contract covers the operation of rail and bus services in the Dutch province of Limburg for a period of 15 years from December 11, 2016.
Arriva has announced that it will introduce a fleet of 36 new trains, which will operate regional and international services.
NS subsidiary Qbuzz had been appointed to operate the new concession, but the decision was later reversed after irregularities were revealed in its bid. The affair has resulted in the resignation of NS chief executive Timo Huges.
David Martin, chief executive of Arriva, said: “We are already a major transport operator in the Netherlands, so we are naturally delighted to be expanding our operations further in the south of the country.
“We submitted a pioneering bid for the Limburg concession which was based around innovation, new ticketing systems for customers and new connections across the region and into Germany and Belgium.
“We look forward to starting in December next year and attracting more people to bus and rail services in the Netherlands.”
The new concession will also include the start of a new direct rail service between Liege and Aachen, via Eijsden.
