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Netherlands to Convert Decommissioned Trains into Mobile Military Hospitals as War Threat Looms
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
As concerns mount over the threat of a full-scale war with Russia, the Dutch government is taking steps to prepare its civilian infrastructure for military use, Dutch outlet AD reported on July 14.
The Netherlands' Ministry of Defense is in talks with the national railway company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), to purchase 24 decommissioned train cars that would be converted into mobile hospitals for transporting wounded soldiers.
The move is part of a broader government initiative to integrate the country’s logistics sector into military preparedness efforts. The train cars, originally slated for replacement and sale abroad, would be repurposed to support battlefield medical care.
NS confirmed the ongoing discussions, though the project remains in early planning stages. “The Ministry of Defense has approached us, and we’re exploring ways to support them,” a company spokesperson told AD.
Brigadier General Henny Bouman, who oversees logistics expansion at the Ministry of Defense, described the railcar conversion as one of many essential measures to support large-scale military operations should they resume in Europe. The next phase, he said, involves signing contracts with dozens of civilian logistics firms to transport equipment, ammunition, and other military supplies eastward.
“This kind of effort simply isn’t possible without the support of society as a whole,” Bouman emphasized.
Last week, the Dutch Ministry of Defense reached a separate agreement with Dutch airline KLM to recruit its pilots as military reservists. KLM currently employs 11 former military aviators trained to fly F-35 fighter jets.
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Under the new plan, five of these pilots will have their workloads reduced, allowing them time to undergo additional military training. Future agreements may also include technical engineers and other ground personnel.
According to Politico, growing concerns over Europe’s readiness for a potential conflict with Russia have pushed the EU to explore similar initiatives. The European Commission is expected to unveil a new military mobility package this fall to address logistical gaps across member states.
Earlier, the Estonian Defense Forces conducted their first live-fire exercise with US-supplied HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems off Saaremaa island, firing training rockets at simulated maritime targets up to 15 km offshore.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov branded the exercise “an obvious provocation,” warning that “Russia intends to firmly defend its legitimate interests in this region. Russia is a Baltic state. That many countries are carrying out provocative actions there is also an obvious reality”, as was reported by Radio Svoboda on July 14.
