Nederlandse SpoorwegenNederlandse Spoorwegen  is a Dutch company, the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. Founded in 1938, NS provides rail services on the Dutch main rail network (Dutch: hoofdrailnet). The Dutch rail network is the busiest in the European Union, and third busiest in the world after Switzerland and Japan.

NS serves 1.1 million travellers with its 4800 scheduled domestic trains per day.

Rolling stock

NS has Sprinter trains for short distances and Intercity trains for longer distances within the Netherlands, as well as international trains and trains that run on the High Speed Line.

The Sprinter

The Sprinter is intended for short distances and stops at all stations along the route. Travellers spend an average of 15 minutes aboard a Sprinter. It is a true commuter train, which can accelerate quickly, offers a clear view along the length of the train (social safety), and has many wide, clearly recognisable doors to facilitate easy entrance and exit. The spacious galleries offer more space for people to stand during peak hours. The Sprinters are recognisable by their blue-and-white paint scheme.

The Intercity

The Intercity is intended for medium- and long-distance train journeys, and only stops at large or medium-sized stations. They are comfortable trains with facilities geared towards a longer travel time. All Intercity trains are equipped with silence compartments. In the modernised double-deckers, the upper floors are ideal for reading or working, with many rows of seats. This is where the silence compartments are located. The lower floors are better suited to conversations, with more seats facing one another and 'lounge' seats. The Intercity can be recognised by its blue-and-yellow paint scheme.

Facilities

All NS trains operating within the Netherlands offer the following standard services:

  • 1st and 2nd class compartments, recognisable by the class signage on the exterior and interior of the train.
  • Bicycle facilities in the gallery.
  • Facilities for disabled passengers.
  • Screens showing travel information and audio travel information (PA messages).
  • WiFi in Intercitys (and all new NS Sprinters starting in 2017).
  • Intercitys are equipped with toilets (increasingly wheelchair-accessible). The same applies to most Sprinters, and those Sprinters that are not yet equipped with toilets will have them installed in the near future.
  • Many NS trains feature art work as well, as surveys have shown that our customers truly appreciate it, and NS has a long tradition of displaying art in its trains.

International trains and high-speed trains

Other NS trains (or train services in which NS is closely involved) include the IC direct, the Thalys, the ICE, the IC Brussel, and the IC Berlijn.

Most Popular train journeys with NS

Train Eindhoven-Amsterdam
Train Amsterdam-Rotterdam
Train Rotterdam-Amsterdam
Train Amsterdam-The Hague
Train Amsterdam-Eindhoven
Train Zandvoort-Amsterdam
Train Amsterdam-Giethoorn
Train Amsterdam-Maastricht
Train Maastricht-Amsterdam
Train Amsterdam-Utrecht
Train The Hague-Amsterdam
Train Rotterdam-The Hague
Train Eindhoven-Rotterdam
Train Amsterdam-Zandvoort
Train Amsterdam Airport Schiphol-Rotterdam Centraal
Train Rotterdam-Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Train The Hague-Rotterdam
Train Utrecht-Amsterdam
Train Amsterdam-Delft
Train Amsterdam-Groningen
Train Amsterdam-Haarlem
Train Venlo-Amsterdam
Train Amsterdam Centraal-Rotterdam Centraal
Train Haarlem-Amsterdam

 

The top 15 busiest train stations in the Netherlands by travelers (NS only) per working day in 2019:

 
StationProvinceDaily Travelers 2019
Utrecht Centraal  Utrecht 207,400
Amsterdam Centraal  North Holland 199,500
Rotterdam Centraal  South Holland 101,700
Den Haag Centraal  South Holland 98,800
Schiphol Airport  North Holland 98,000
Leiden Centraal  South Holland 82,700
Amsterdam Zuid  North Holland 68,700
Eindhoven Centraal  North Brabant 68,200
Amsterdam Sloterdijk  North Holland 50,500
‘s Hertogenbosch  North Brabant 49,800
Nijmegen  Gelderland 47,500
Arnhem Centraal  Gelderland 45,700
Amersfoort Centraal  Utrecht 44,800
Haarlem  North Holland 43,800
Zwolle  Overijssel 42,100