NS has sold its UK subsidiary, Abellio UK, to company management. This was confirmed by a spokesperson for the railway company after being reported by the ANP news agency. The sale had been on NS’s agenda for some time, but was finally completed on Tuesday thanks to permission from British authorities.

Since 2018, NS wants all its activities to benefit Dutch tourists. That “strategic importance” was lost on Abellio UK, the reason for selling the company for 15 to 25 million pounds (17.1 to 28.5 million euros). However, NS has made a lot of money from the UK branch: over the twenty years that NS was active in the UK, it generated profits of 100 to 180 million euros, an NS spokesperson said. Last year’s turnover was almost 2.5 billion euros.

But it has been “difficult to operate” overseas in recent years, NS wrote in its latest annual report. A “relatively unstable political environment” and “poor economic conditions” such as inflation and national strikes created “challenges” in the UK. NS has been active in the UK since 2003.

Problems in Germany

NS has become less active abroad in the last two years. Since March last year, the company no longer operates in Scotland, where the government took over the rail concession, and in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg, NS had to cease operations last year due to financial problems. .

It may take years before the German branch can get its finances back on track. However, a spokesman said NS had no intention of withdrawing from Germany, because it benefits Dutch travelers.

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