The service only concerns IC trains on the conventional line, not HSL South. Based on agreements between NS, Dutch infrastructure manager Prorail and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the change will be introduced in December 2021, and will replace the existing four trains per hour service.

NS says it is confident there will still be enough passengers to justify the high frequency service despite the coronavirus pandemic.

NS has also announced plans to introduce a 10-minute Sprinter service between Rotterdam Centraal and Dordrecht, which it expects to extend to Den Haag Hollands Spoor in 2025. Ultimately, NS plans to increase the frequency of this service to every five minutes.

NS is already planning a 10-minute IC service between Nijmegen, Arnhem, Utrecht Centraal, Amsterdam South/WTC and Schiphol airport from December 2021. The latest plan means that two lines will operate between Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam South/WTC every 10 minutes.

NS has operated a 10-minute service between Amsterdam, Utrecht Centraal, Den Bosch and Eindhoven since December 2017. NS says passenger volumes increased by 15% on the service between December 2017 and December 2019.

NS will consult passenger lobby groups before finalising the draft timetable, which will be released in spring 2021.