Priority on the Railways for Military Transport

State Secretary Thierry Aartsen (Infrastructure and Water Management): “We live in a time when it is increasingly important to be able to move military personnel and equipment quickly. The threat of a military conflict in Europe is increasing. With this measure, we ensure that there is always capacity for military transport on the railways. This anticipates decision-making in Brussels and shows what is needed. This contributes to the safety of the Netherlands and Europe.”

The transport of military equipment mainly takes place from Dutch seaports to the border. However, military transports can also, for example, go from Belgium through the Netherlands to Germany. Almost all capacity on the Dutch railways is allocated annually, but military transports are difficult to schedule in advance. They therefore use the capacity that ProRail normally reserves for ad hoc transport.

But if that reserve capacity is also full, trains carrying tanks, equipment, or personnel are forced to wait. With the expected growth in military mobility, the chance of this undesirable situation occurring is increasing. Sufficient capacity for military transports is also part of the obligations as a NATO member state.

The regulations are now being adjusted so that military transport in such cases gets priority over other rail traffic. However, there must also be an urgent military transport. This is the case, for example, if special requirements apply to a transport, such as constant guarding during a munitions transport. The threat level can also be a reason to designate a transport as urgent. Finally, there are trains that really must arrive at a certain place at a certain time.

The Ministers of Defence and Infrastructure and Water Management jointly determine which transports are urgent and thus receive priority. The measure may cause inconvenience for travelers, but capacity is only withdrawn if it really cannot be helped.

Today, the public consultation started to adjust the rules regarding the allocation of railway capacity. The measure will take effect at the earliest in the fall of 2026. This gives military transport a place in this legislation for the first time. Priority for military transports is also being worked on in Europe.

Giving priority is one of the measures State Secretary Aartsen is taking to improve military transport over the railways. For example, he has commissioned an impact analysis of the Dutch rail network. Following this, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, together with Defence and ProRail, is looking for bottlenecks in the rail network for military transports. A joint resilience strategy is also being developed with ProRail to make the rail network more resilient against hybrid threats. Furthermore, Aartsen wants to prevent military trains from being delayed at the border due to paperwork. Rail yards are also being adapted to better accommodate military mobility. Think of facilitating 740-meter-long freight trains.