Fyra (pronounced ) was an international
high-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
service between the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
using the
AnsaldoBreda
Hitachi Rail Italy S.p.A. is a multinational rolling stock manufacturer company based in Pistoia, Italy. Formerly AnsaldoBreda S.p.A., a subsidiary of state-owned Finmeccanica, the company was sold in 2015 to Hitachi Rail of Japan. After the dea ...
V250
The Trenitalia ETR 700, originally NS Hispeed V250, is a high-speed train designed by Pininfarina and built by AnsaldoBreda originally for NS International and NMBS/SNCB to operate on the Fyra-service, a high speed train between Amsterdam and ...
train. The service used the
HSL-Zuid and
HSL 4 railway lines to connect
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
,
Schiphol Airport,
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
,
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, and
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
.
Continuous technical difficulties suspended the service, and it was eventually permanently halted due to reliability and safety concerns.
The high-profile project was a collaboration between
NS International
NS International, formerly ''NS Hispeed'', is a rail operator in the Netherlands that operates international intercity and high-speed connections to several European cities. The operator is a subsidiary of the ''Nederlandse Spoorwegen''.
History ...
(a joint venture of
NS and
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...
) and
NMBS/SNCB
french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen
, type = Statutory corporation
, industry = Rail Transport
, foundation = 1926
, founder = Government o ...
.
A Dutch domestic service also using HSL-Zuid was branded under the same name. Despite using the tracks built for high speed trains the service between
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
and
Breda
Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
used conventional trains propelled by a
TRAXX
Alstom Traxx (sold as Bombardier TRAXX before 2021) is a modular product platform of mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotives produced originally by Bombardier Transportation and later Alstom, which was built in both freight and passen ...
locomotive. Its name was changed into
Intercity Direct
Intercity Direct is a Dutch higher-speed train service operating on the HSL-Zuid, connecting Amsterdam Centraal to Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam Centraal and Breda. Intercity Direct replaced the Fyra brand as of December 2013; it is part of NS ...
to avoid confusion with the failed international service.
The name "Fyra" represents
pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...
, and is derived from the Dutch word ''
fier'' and the French word ''
fière'', both meaning
proud
Proud may refer to:
Music
* ''Proud'' (Heather Small album), the debut album by Heather Small
** "Proud" (Heather Small song), a song by Heather Small that was the official song for the London 2012 Olympic bid
* ''Proud'' (compilation album), ...
.
Fyra
Fyra (pronounced ) was an international high-speed rail service between the Netherlands and Belgium using the AnsaldoBreda V250 train. The service used the HSL-Zuid and HSL 4 railway lines to connect Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam, Antwer ...
is also the Swedish word for
four
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures.
In mathematics
Four is the smallest c ...
, and is said to represent the four important cities which the new trains were intended to serve — Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels.
Operations
NS International services started at
Amsterdam Centraal
Amsterdam Centraal Station ( nl, italic=no, Station Amsterdam Centraal ; abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passengers a day, m ...
station. They included two trains per hour to
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
, two trains per hour to
Breda
Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...
and one train every one or two hours to
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, and
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. All trains stopped at both
Schiphol Airport and
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
. Services outside the Netherlands were operated in conjunction with
NMBS/SNCB
french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen
, type = Statutory corporation
, industry = Rail Transport
, foundation = 1926
, founder = Government o ...
, Belgium's national railway operator.
An hourly high-speed service between Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam was introduced in September 2009. In October 2010 this was increased to a half-hourly service, and in April 2011 the service was extended to Breda. On July 29, 2012 the V250 made its first revenue earning service carrying passengers from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and back. The service to Antwerp and Brussels started on 9 December 2012. The service was temporarily suspended after various major technical difficulties on January 17, 2013.
After the manufacturer had been proven unable to address the issues in the contractually foreseen period,
NMBS/SNCB
french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen
, type = Statutory corporation
, industry = Rail Transport
, foundation = 1926
, founder = Government o ...
permanently withdrew the service and cancelled the contract for the delivery of 3 trains on 31 May 2013. NMBS/SNCB sought the refund of its downpayment, and maybe also damages.
Reputation
The Fyra had a poor reputation for reliability. After a month of operations more than 5% of all trains were cancelled and less than 45% of them ran on schedule. In the middle of January 2013 further problems arose: 3 trains were damaged because of ice (among other technical problems). Further commercial service was even forbidden by the Belgian rail safety regulator. This led to several complaints from user associations and tourist information services. Both the Dutch and Belgian parliaments held hearings about the problems during May 2015.
The continuous problems with Fyra caused public outcry in both Belgium and the Netherlands, including accusations in the Belgian and Dutch media that only financial considerations were behind the decision to purchase V250 trains from AnsaldoBreda. Initially the maximum speed requirements were fixed at 220 km/h, which would have reduced the purchase cost per seat drastically. However, after comparing offers by Alstom (manufacturers of the French TGV) and Siemens (who manufacture the German ICE trains) with that of AnsaldoBreda, it transpired that the Italian producer was able to offer a cheaper train with a higher speed of 250 km/h, which ultimately gave the Italian company the edge. The V250's failure in December 2012 and its ultimate withdrawal from service have spawned several Dutch-language nicknames, such as "Spaghetti-boemel" (slow spaghetti train, referring to the Dutch nickname for Italians: Spaghettivreter, "Spaghetti eater") and "ALDI-trein" (ALDI-train).
ALDI
Aldi (stylised as ALDI) is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 10,000 stores in 20 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht in 1946, when t ...
is a German discount supermarket chain with multiple branches in both Belgium and the Netherlands. The association of Fyra with its brand name triggered protests from ALDI management.
End of service
On 31 May 2013, NMBS/SNCB announced that they would exit the Fyra project and cancel the contract with
AnsaldoBreda
Hitachi Rail Italy S.p.A. is a multinational rolling stock manufacturer company based in Pistoia, Italy. Formerly AnsaldoBreda S.p.A., a subsidiary of state-owned Finmeccanica, the company was sold in 2015 to Hitachi Rail of Japan. After the dea ...
. on the basis of technical issues which remained unresolved during the contractual period of three months. NMBS/SNCB further noted that the late delivery alone would be sufficient reason to annul the contract. In a press conference , former CEO of NMBS/SNCB illustrated his arguments; a metallic strip affixed to the roof had come undone on a moving train and had bent upwards towards the overhead cables, a potentially dangerous situation. Rust was found on an axle of a nearly new train which could lead to premature breakage. Other areas were also badly affected by
stray current corrosion blamed on inconsistent assembly. In all there were 26 top issues which needed resolving. The problems were confirmed by reports from external partners
Mott MacDonald
The Mott MacDonald Group is a consultancy headquartered in the United Kingdom. It employs 16,000 staff in 150 countries. Mott MacDonald is one of the largest employee-owned companies in the world.
It was established in 1989 by the merger of M ...
(commissioned by NMBS/SNCB and NS) and Concept Risk (commissioned by NMBS/SNCB). Engineers of NS also subjected two partial trains to a standardised test, known as a ''stofkamanalyse'' (English: fine-toothed comb test) in which they respectively scored 1157 and 2019 penalty points. The usual limit for approval of a train is 10 points. Although all problems were theoretically resolvable it was estimated this would take at least 17 months and the sheer number of issues would prohibit a practical inspection regime. Additionally, the lengthy repair scenario was considered risky due to the poor financial situation of the manufacturer, which a report by
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...
illustrated with a
solvency
Solvency, in finance or business, is the degree to which the current assets of an individual or entity exceed the current liabilities of that individual or entity. Solvency can also be described as the ability of a corporation to meet its long-ter ...
of -47.5% and low credit ratings for its parent company
Finmeccanica.
On 3 June 2013 NS also announced that the V250 was no longer considered a viable option.
The decision was confirmed four days later by the Dutch government, and NS was given until October to come up with a new plan to use HSL-Zuid.
The failure also led to a parliamentary investigation into the project in the Netherlands. In Belgium the justice department was asked to investigate the
public procurement procedure and the
Court of Audit A Court of Audit or Court of Accounts is a Supreme audit institution, i.e. a government institution performing financial and/or legal audit (i.e. Statutory audit or External audit) on the executive branch of power.
See also
*Most of those in ...
was to be asked to investigate the project.
In a press conference on 6 June, AnsaldoBreda dismissed the reports as "baseless and unfounded", and claimed that the trains had been handled poorly by being run too fast (i.e. at maximum commercial speed of 250 km/h) under snow conditions. Two legal attempts by AnsaldoBreda to obtain information from the reports have been rejected by the Dutch courts.
NMBS/SNCB filed compensation claims of 40 million euros against AnsaldoBreda in September 2013 seeking a refund of cash paid in advance for three trains that it had never accepted. AnsaldoBreda filed a lawsuit in the Netherlands in October against NS seeking payment for the seven trains not accepted by NS as well as damages for alleged breach of contract. NS filed a claim on 25 September against Finmeccanica seeking reimbursement for the trains it wants to return to AnsaldoBreda as well as compensation and damages.
On 17 March 2014 NS announced a settlement with AnsaldoBreda had been reached. The 9 NS trains would be returned to AnsaldoBreda for a refund of 125 million euros, 88 million euros less than originally paid. NS would receive an additional compensation for each resold unit up to a maximum of 21 million euros.
Rolling stock
NS International ordered 16
V250
The Trenitalia ETR 700, originally NS Hispeed V250, is a high-speed train designed by Pininfarina and built by AnsaldoBreda originally for NS International and NMBS/SNCB to operate on the Fyra-service, a high speed train between Amsterdam and ...
trains from
AnsaldoBreda
Hitachi Rail Italy S.p.A. is a multinational rolling stock manufacturer company based in Pistoia, Italy. Formerly AnsaldoBreda S.p.A., a subsidiary of state-owned Finmeccanica, the company was sold in 2015 to Hitachi Rail of Japan. After the dea ...
, with NMBS/SNCB ordering a further 3 sets. They were used on Dutch domestic services and NS International services to Brussels.
These sets are eight carriages long and have a top speed of 250 km/h. They entered service in December 2012 - five years later than originally planned.
They were taken out of service the following month due to numerous technical issues. Four months later only two of the 9 already delivered trains were still capable of performing test runs.
Between 2007 and 2008 in order to dispense with the increasingly unreliable
Class 11 locomotives on the Amsterdam-Brussels service, NS International introduced twelve
Bombardier Traxx F140 MS
Alstom Traxx (sold as Bombardier TRAXX before 2021) is a modular product platform of mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotives produced originally by Bombardier Transportation and later Alstom, which was built in both freight and pass ...
electric locomotives hired from
Angel Trains, numbered in the range E186 111 to E186 122, augmented from 2011 by E186 144 and E186 239.
[
]
References
{{High-speed rail
High-speed rail in the Netherlands
High-speed rail in Belgium