Erasmus University Rotterdam and Dutch Railways forge closer cooperation

With the festive signing of an agreement on Thursday October 21, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) and the Dutch Railways (NS) have officially committed themselves to stronger collaboration over the next decade.

Pauline van der Meer Mohr (President of the Executive Board of EUR) signed the document, as did Bert Meerstadt (CEO of NS). The contract provides for the phased appointment of a total of 6 doctoral students – evenly spread over Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics. In the coming 10 years, NS will pay half of their staffing costs of over €1 million.

Bert Meerstadt (CEO of NS): “This form of cooperation will marry university science with the Dutch Railways’ brainpower. By using smart, innovative solutions, NS is able to further improve the service provided to travellers.”

Pauline van der Meer Mohr (President of the Executive Board of EUR): "It is excellent news that NS will provide financial support to our top-level research. This is a win-win deal. NS will acquire cutting-edge expertise, while we at Erasmus University will be able to be at the forefront of science."

Past research into railway scheduling

EUR and NS were already working together, as reflected in the doctorate awarded, on Thursday, to Dr. Daniel Potthoff for his dissertation Railway Crew Rescheduling, in which he studied how best to respond to disruptions to the Dutch rail network. Potthoff has developed a software program that, in the case of delays, calculates a new railway timetable within a few minutes. Additionally, it quickly adjusts the railway staff schedule accordingly.

Potthoff’s PhD research was supervised by Professors <link people leo-kroon _self>Leo Kroon and <link people albert-wagelmans _self>Albert Wagelmans. They have also supervised other PhD research projects related to railways: