The Fyra high-speed trains will be returned to the Italian manufacturers AnsaldoBreda and Dutch railway company NS will get €125m of its money back under a deal announced by the two companies.

The agreement, announced in a joint press release on Monday evening, means AnsaldoBreda will be able to sell on the returned Fyra trains and the loss to the NS will be reduced to €88m.

The Frya, the high-speed train linking Amsterdam and Brussels, was taken out of service at the beginning of 2013 after less than a year in operation following a string of technical problems.

The deal reached between the NS and AnsaldoBreda and its owner Finmeccanica is aimed at avoiding lengthy court proceedings.

Reliable

The trains will be returned to Italy where they will be refitted and sold on. A proportion of the sale price of each train up to a maximum of €21m will be paid to the NS which will gradually bring the €88m loss down further, according to the joint press release.

AnsaldoBreda says the resale of the trains shows the Fyra is reliable. ‘We are already in negotiations with several interested parties,’ a spokesman told the Telegraaf, adding that there are no winners or losers. ‘Call it a draw,’ he said.

Junior transport minister Wilma Mansveld would not comment, but MPs from all parties say they want more details about the deal.