Railways and trains in the Netherlands

Heart of the Railway Message of the Netherlands – Amsterdam Central Station (WWW.AmsterDamCentraal.NL) where international and long-distance trains come from. You can find the schedule and plan your movement around the country on the site of the Netherlands Railways: WWW.NS.NL.

Traveling from Amsterdam to Rotterdam takes 45 minutes and cost € 14,5 or € 24.7 depending on the selected class of the car. Kharlem can be reached in just a quarter of an hour and € 4 or € 6.8.

First class wagons are spacious and a bit more comfortable than second-class cars, also, thanks to 70% mark, they are less filled.

Inner railway service

The Dutch Railway is considered the world’s best loaded. From Amsterdam you can leave literally anywhere in the country, trains go every 10-60 minutes, depending on the direction. Railway communication does not stop even at night: every hour from Rotterdam to Utrecht (capturing along the path of Hague and Amsterdam) deposits Nachtnet.

The main railway carrier of the Kingdom of Netherlands is Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS, WWW.NS.NL), it offers four types of trains:

• StopTrein – an ordinary passenger train, next to all stops;
• Sneltrein – a train that transmits some stations and therefore arriving at the destination slightly faster than the previous version;
• INTERCITY – Express making stops only at the largest stations;
• Sprinter – Train, "Unloading" The most demanded routes should be with all stops.

On every Dutch platform, it is indicated for which type of trains it is intended, other formulations at this station will not stop.

In addition to NS, Arriva, Syntus, Connexxion, Veolia and some other small carriers operate in the country.

External railway service

The Netherlands are connected by an extensive network of railways with Belgian and German cities. When crossing the border, it is often necessary to change the locomotive due to the difference in voltage on the railways of other countries.

For international travel through Dutch railways, European w / d-tickets Euraail, Inter-Rail, Europass and Flexipass operate. You can find the cost of travel and plan a trip on the website www.NsInternational.NL, for an early booking charges an additional fee of 3.5 euros.

Of Amsterdam in the southern direction, two trains run: Intercity and high-speed Thalys.

Intercity goes to Antwerp with stops in the Hague and Rotterdam (2 hours 15 minutes, € 28), Bruges (3.5 hours, € 39.4), Brussels (3 hours, € 33.4) and Luxembourg (6 hours 15 minutes , € 63.6).

Express Thalys walks six times a day, connecting Amsterdam with Antwerp (2 hours 15 minutes, € 28), Brussels (2.5 hours, € 33.4) and Paris (4 hours 15 minutes, € 97,5). Youth up to 26 years old have the right to 50% discount, elderly travelers with Rail Europe Senior travelers get 25% benefit. The number of discount tickets is limited, so if you intend to save, better book in advance.

Tickets

Cheaper to buy railway tickets in the automatic cash desk at the station. In automata, tickets can be offered with a 40% discount, but you can use this offer only with a special discount card, without it a travel document will be invalid.

If you purchase tickets from the cashier, the cost of the trip will increase by 50 cents, but the train station will be able to advise you, what route and the tariff you better pick up.

For example, in summer there is a special ticket Zomertoer, allowing several people to unlimited travel by train within two days (not necessarily in a row) with any number of transfers within the paid zone.

For a group of 6 people, you can purchase a shared ticket with a good discount Meermans Kaart.

In the fall actual "Output ticket" Herfsttoer with the same options as his summer analog.

The most expensive way to pay the passage is to buy a ticket directly from the conductor in the car, so the trip will be twice as expensive than when purchasing a ticket for ticket tickets.

The cost of the trip does not depend on how in advance the document is purchased or booked, but only from the distance, but the ticket in both ends (RETOUR) will be cheaper. True, it is possible to buy such a reverse passage only on the day of departure or to the weekend.

Also in trains there is a single transport card OV chipkaart. On the platform before landing "on Board" Trains need to attach a map to a special terminal, and from the account spikes a fixed amount of € 20. When leaving the train, you need to touch the machine again, and the uncoupled balance will return to the card, at the rate that the journey cost 12 cents per 1 km. So in the Netherlands exclude the likelihood of a short-free travel.

Ticket Eurail Pass allows you to unlimited moving around the railway within the entire Benilyux, but it is not possible to purchase such a travel document not to everyone, and some analogue can serve Inter Rail Pass.

VoORdeel-urenkaart – ticket acting not at peak hours and gives your owner 40% discount on travel. Obtaining this document may take several weeks, so this option is suitable only to those who remain in the Netherlands for a long time.

Be careful: Smoking is strictly prohibited in the Dutch trains, for violation of this rule, a serious penalty is relying.