Arriva CEO Anne Hettinga joined NBR that he expected much more from the cabinet with regard to the liberalization of public transport and other plans for mobility. The government's signature predicted a lot of good things in that area, but this has not yet been achieved. Hettinga expected that what was stated in the coalition agreement would already have been implemented, but that is not the case.

Bringing the four railway lines onto the market has not happened and there is no development of a future vision for mobility at all. That was stated in the coalition agreement and that it was not implemented is a bad sign, according to Hettinga. Hettinga would like to become the largest provider of public transport with Arriva, what mix it becomes between bus and train does not matter that much. But the competition from the NS makes that difficult and as long as the cabinet does not open the market further or sets rules for it, it will remain difficult for Arriva.

Hettinga dismisses the criticism that Arriva maintains regional connections that few travelers use. Hettinga refers to the regional connections that the NS has disposed of because they were not profitable, but which have become profitable at Arriva.

“It is not only determined by the number of travelers, but also by what the government is willing to do to maintain it. When it comes to the viability of regional railways, we can write another book about it. ” , says Anne Hettinga.

The Mobility portfolio will soon not be managed by Minister Stientje van Veldhoven (D66) but will be taken over by Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (VVD). Van Nieuwenhuizen therefore takes over the files for public transport and rail.

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