A majority of Lelystad’s municipal council voted 21 to 15 to stop funding the night train between Zwolle, Lelystad, Almere, Amsterdam Zuid and Schiphol. The proposal was supported by the Residents’ Party, CDA, VVD, Livable Lelystad, Beautiful Lelystad, Forum for Democracy, PVV and ChristianUnion. The current cooperation is due to run until 1 January, while the council had previously considered extending the trial for another year with €85,000 in funding.

Arriva figures cited in the account showed that 4,595 passengers used the service between March 2025 and the end of June 2026, including 1,749 from Lelystad. The council majority said the passenger numbers were too low to justify the subsidy, which amounted to about €67 per ticket. D66 wanted to wait until the trial ended in December, and Almere had not yet taken a position. A legal dispute over the municipalities’ subsidy to Arriva is also pending, with a ruling expected from the College of Appeal for Business next Tuesday.