From Twente to all corners of the Netherlands: John Voppen talks about his contribution to the accessibility of the Netherlands: “Railways urgently need innovations.”
To conclude the series of student lunch lectures of the Alumni Talks (academic year 24-25), John Voppen will come back to campus to share his experiences with UT students.
alumnus John Voppen
He studied Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) at the University of Twente from 1990 to 1996. He started working as a consultant at management consultancy Accenture and moved to ProRail in 2005. First as director of finance and later as director of traffic control. He has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2016, first as operational director (COO) and with effect from September 1, 2019 as president (CEO).
Strengthening the accessibility of the Netherlands is the task for the Dutch railway manager ProRail. Increasing capacity, improving reliability and making the railway more sustainable are the most important priorities for ProRail in the coming years. This, in combination with the staff shortage, both at ProRail itself and at suppliers, requires a lot of attention from ProRail CEO John Voppen.
More than a million people travel by train every day and that number will only grow in the coming years. Together with the ports, rail freight transport is also an important economic driver. However, the image of the railway is less favorable than you would expect given its performance. Nuisance and disruptions are more noticeable than the fact that trains run 90% on time. Voppen therefore regularly appears in the media to provide explanations. He gives the signal that rail is essential to sustainably accommodate mobility growth. Voppen's message to politicians: investments remain necessary. “The railways in the Netherlands are full in most places. In order to transport millions more passengers until 2030, without building additional track, we have to think of smart things. That innovation requires money.”
These alumni participated at the Alumni Talks (from left to right) Maurice B.J. te Plate (System Engineer - Webb Space Telescope, European Space Agency - ESA/NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration), John Voppen (CEO - ProRail) & Merel Boers - founder & CEO of Nicolab.
Event details
- Date& time: Monday 31 March, during the lunch break (12:45-13:30)
- Location: Will be provided after registration
- This event includes a sandwich
