The brick red Arriva trains in Friesland and Groningen will be getting a new paint job, and the company will be adding more hybrid trains and extra rail service in the coming decades.
Translation by Traci White
According to Omrop Fryslan, in addition to the northern trains getting a new paint job, the trains will also be getting new battery packs which will enable the trains to shut off their motors while stopped at their final destinations. However, the trains will continue to run on diesel fuel.
The first train cars to undergo renovations travelled to Poland in March of this year for the first phase, and the project will be rounded off in the Netherlands. It is not yet clear when the refurbished trains will be entering service. Arriva currently operates 51 trains in the north between Groningen, Friesland and Germany, and 18 additional trains will be added to their service by the end of 2019.
The new, hybrid trains will run on biodiesel (which should emit 80 percent less carbon dioxide) and will be equipped with pantographs (the metal fixtures on top of the trains) which will enable the trains to run on electricity.
RTV Noord reports that Arriva will remain the regional train service provider in Groningen and Friesland through at least 2035, and the company intends to carry out additional changes in the coming decades. The additional trains are expected to translate into around 20 additional jobs, especially for men and women who are at a disadvantage on the labour market.
The trains should soon be equipped with better seats and, much to the relief of many regular commuters, better wifi. There are also plans for more night trains between Leeuwarden and Groningen after midnight, and additional services will be running to and from the Eems harbour area.
Photo source: Arriva
