The national rail infrastructure company ProRail says the Dutch rail network will be closed to goods traffic if safety is not improved. 

The remarks are prompted by four train crashes involving goods trains in a single year. prorail argues that every one of those accidents could have been a major disaster. Accidents like that should occur once every ten years at most, according to the company, which manages the rail network on behalf of the government.

ProRail wants train companies to improve maintenance of their rolling stock. Drivers should be better trained, and should be familiar with the routes they are on.

The companies have been given until 1 January to get their house in order. Since privatisation of the rail sector in the mid-1990s, goods traffic on the Dutch railways is carried out by 15 private companies. Passenger transport is taken care of by NS, Veolia, Syntus and Connexxion.