{"id":532638,"date":"2026-09-07T21:29:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T11:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=74113"},"modified":"2026-09-07T21:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T11:29:07","slug":"the-netherlands-seeks-rail-partners-for-military-transport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=532638","title":{"rendered":"The Netherlands seeks rail partners for military transport"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dutch Ministry of Defense is looking for rail companies to support its logistics. It is after partners that can organise transportation of ammunition, construction materials, fuel, vehicles and other military equipment across Europe by rail.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Dutch Defense already has a partner for this kind of transportation, but it wants to know if there are any other market parties that could provide similar services, writes our sister publication NT.nl.<\/p>\n

The assignment would only pertain to military goods. It includes three categories: container transportation, rolling stock (both in-profile and out-of-profile) and traction for casualty trains. As for the container segment, the types of freight vary from military equipment to construction materials to fuels. Service providers have to be able to transport ammunition of type RID KI 1 at all times.<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Defense expects to demand 150 trains annually, of which 90% will be out-of-profile.<\/p>\n

Requirements<\/h2>\n

\u201cThe service is intended directly and exclusively for military purposes and affects essential national and allied security interests\u201d, the defense ministry specifies. \u201cIts delivery requires secure logistics chains and the handling of sensitive and classified information, such as military deployment plans, security protocols and interoperability agreements with NATO partners. The desired partner must be prepared to carry out rail transport for the Ministry of Defence in both peacetime and wartime.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ministry makes tangible demands for partners in the areas of operational capacity, security, interoperability and reliability. For example, the service provider needs to be present or have dedicated partners in all of the involved countries. States of particular interest are Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, the Baltic States, Romania, Czechia, Slovakia, Greece and Sweden.<\/p>\n

Partners also need to have five years of experience in military transports, own a minimum of 100 SMMNPS wagons and 75 SGNS 60-ft (or equivalent) wagons, as well as sufficient (shunting) locomotives. Adequate staff and expertise are also part of the requirements. Details of the requirements are published on an external platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n