Rob Dammers – Angermund ICE2 duo 402 031-030 als ICE 942 Berlin Hbf-Köln Hbf, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66189714
The Netherlands and Germany have signed a joint declaration to run more cross-border passenger trains, cut journey times, and improve rail freight links. German Transport Minister Steffen Bilger and Dutch State Secretary Annet Bertram signed the agreement in Berlin on 10 November 2026.
The passenger plans focus on three corridors from Amsterdam: to Hamburg, Berlin and Frankfurt, with onward links towards Copenhagen, Warsaw, Prague, Basel and Vienna. Both governments want to make it easier for new operators to enter the market, but announced no new frequencies or journey-time targets.
For freight, a priority is expanding capacity between Emmerich and Oberhausen, the German link to the Betuweroute connecting the port of Rotterdam with the Ruhr. The two countries also plan to co-ordinate the roll-out of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and make it easier to run 740-metre trains for commercial freight and military transport.
Working groups will develop the proposals, with ministers and infrastructure managers ProRail and DB InfraGO due to review progress annually.