Last week, 30 engineers from the Italian construction company AnsaldoBreda arrived in the Netherlands – the only Fyra trains in service to date are those owned by the Dutch rail authority NS – to carry out tests after Fyra was taken out of service.

Fyra came into service nearly six years behind schedule, replacing the standard Brussels-Amsterdam service. Rail users complained that the train was more expensive, rode less often, required a reservation and did not serve The Hague. The performance of the train itself, however, proved the biggest obstacle to its success: From the start, the service has been delayed or cancelled due to breakdowns.

Winter weather added to the problems, and when three trains were reported to have shed parts last week, the service was pulled entirely by safety inspectors. Dutch authorities have cancelled outstanding orders for seven trains. The Dutch rail minister Wilma Mansveld this week said she wanted her department and her Belgian equivalent to work together to come up with an alternative to Fyra before the end of the month. In the meantime the service is replaced by the former intercity service.