Dutch Railways renews Thales contract for maintenance and support of ticketing systems at all train stations in the Netherlands
In the last 20 years, Thales has been the contract partner for hardware maintenance and software support for the NS ticketing system. Thales maintains around 1,700 gates, 1,600 validators and 750 ticket vending machines at the 400 train stations in the Netherlands.
NS Ticketing System©Thales
The renewal of the contract underscores the NS operator's continuing confidence in the availability of its ticketing system and testifies to Thales's ability to provide high-quality maintenance services for complex technical equipment. The latest framework contract introduces new service concepts with innovative ways of working, which will result in higher overall availability of the ticketing system for travellers.
- Dutch Railways (NS) has awarded Thales an eight-year contract valued at 120 million euros for maintenance and support of 1,700 gates, 1,600 validators and 750 ticket vending machines at 400 train stations in the Netherlands.
- NS is the main passenger railway operator in the Netherlands, serving 1.3 million passengers on working days.
Thales is an established supplier of gates and validators for public transport operators around the world. In 2022, the company upgraded the ticketing system to enable OVPay, which in the near future will enable travellers to pass through access gates or check in using their bank card or phone.
A Thales team of 50 field service engineers and a 24/7 help and service desk work for public transport customers every day to maintain the ticketing equipment in the Netherlands.
“We will deliver the 24/7 support NS needs to speed up and secure the acceptance by the user of OVpay, a major shift for the Dutch public transportation systems. This 8 years contract with NS is a testimonial of our long-term commitment to a green and digital mobility” Jean-Marc Reynaud, Vice-President, Revenue Collection Systems, Thales.
“We are very proud to enable the smooth and reliable check in and check out at NS stations for 1.3 million passengers every working day. It is great to renew this partnership with NS and ensure the high availability of the ticketing system. – Jean-Philippe de Rek, Managing Director Ground Transportation Systems in the Netherlands, Thales.
"We are delighted to continue our partnership with Thales with this critical service for the traveller. Thales has proven to be a reliable partner and is ready for future developments to make access to our services even easier for our travellers." – Hessel Dikkers, Chief Information Officer, NS.
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