The joint enquiry by the Dutch and Belgian parliaments into the the problems surrounding the Fyra high-speed train service will be held on Monday in the Belgian senate in Brussels.

The heads of Dutch railways (NS) and Belgian railways (NMBS) will be invited to attend, reports news agency Novum. It is possible representatives of passenger organisations will also be in attendance, but this is not yet certain.

In the Netherlands, opposition MPs had called for a parliamentary enquiry into the situation but this was turned down on Tuesday by the governing Liberal VVD and Labour parties on the grounds it is too early for such a serious response.

On the carpet

As the row over the high-speed failings continued to spread, Dutch junior transport minister Wilma Mansveld has made it clear to NS officials the suspension of the Frya service is unacceptable.

Mansveld wants a direct rail link between Amsterdam and Brussels restored as soon as possible. This will probably mean reintroducing the Benelux intercity train which was taken out of service when the Fyra started running, according to media reports.

In the meantime, anyone from the Netherlands attending the Monday meeting in Brussels will have to travel via Breda.

Earlier stories
Opposition calls for parliamentary enquiry into Fyra high-speed trains
Fyra problems due to politicial choices