Rail transport in the Netherlands uses a dense railway network which connects nearly all major towns and cities. There are more train stations than there are municipalities in the Netherlands. The network totals on of track; a line may run both ways, or two lines may run (one in each direction) on major routes. Three-quarters of the lines have been electrified.
The Dutch rail network primarily supports passenger transport. Rail travel comprises the majority of the distance travelled on Dutch public transport. The national rail infrastructure is managed and maintained by the government agency ProRail, and a number of operators have concessions to operate their trains. The entire network is standard gauge. The Netherlands is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC), and its country code is 84.
Most Dutch trains are equipped with Wi-Fi. They offer no onboard catering, except for a limited service on some international trains, due to the short distances involved.
Operators
Public-transport authorities in the Netherlands issue concessions for groups of lines:Concessions; see also :nl:Concessies in het Nederlandse openbaar vervoer#Overzicht concessies. Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; Dutch Railways) – services the main passenger rail network (Hoofdrailnet), including limited night service Arriva Netherlands – services the northern secondary lines around Leeuwarden and Groningen, some eastern secondary lines around Arnhem and Zutphen, the southern secondary lines in Limburg, and one central secondary line Breng – services part of an eastern secondary line with Arriva Keolis Nederland – services two eastern secondary lines (between Zwolle and Kampen and Zwolle and Enschede) and a central secondary line between Amersfoort and Ede-Wageningen. Qbuzz – services the MerwedeLingelijn between Dordrecht and Geldermalsen NS International - services international trains and domestic high-speed service. Foreign railway operators with NS authorization service several Dutch stations: DB Regio, including DB Regionalbahn Westfalen and DB Euregiobahn NMBS/SNCB – Maastricht–Eijsden, as part of the Maastricht–Liège service; and also Roosendaal to Antwerpen and beyond.
A common fare system applies nationwide, although operators tend to use separate tariffs. Although most trains have first- and second-class compartiments, Keolis Nederland and (sometimes) Arriva have second-class compartments only. The Netherlands' largest cargo carrier is DB Cargo; others include ACTS, Crossrail, ERS Railways, Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln, Rail4chem and Veolia Cargo. The network is maintained by the government-owned ProRail, which is responsible for allocating slots to companies.
Train categories
History
The first Dutch railway was built and opened in 1839 on a short stretch between Amsterdam and Haarlem, and was expanded between 1840 and 1847 to The Hague and Rotterdam. Originally built with a broad gauge of , it was converted to in 1866.From 1839 until 1864 it was , see 1,945 mm (6 ft 4 in) and , it was changed because Germany and Belgium had , see komlos spatial1 Further 19th-century expansion connected the rest of the country.
The Dutch National Railway Company (Nederlandse Spoorwegen/NS) was founded in 1937 after the merger of several independent railway companies and tasked with running the Dutch railway network.
Most of the main lines were electrified during the 20th century, beginning with the Hofpleinlijn in 1908. Since 1922, after a government-commission report, a 1.5 kV DC system with an overhead line has been used.
Network
The network focuses on passenger rail and connects nearly all major cities. A few towns still lack a train station, including Nieuwegein, Drachten, Amstelveen, Oosterhout, and Katwijk.
Most freight routes run east-west, connecting the Port of Rotterdam and Koninklijke Hoogovens in IJmuiden with Germany. Freight trains usually share the tracks with passenger trains; the only exception is the Betuweroute, which opened in 2007 as the first freight-only route.
The network is well-developed; no extensions are currently planned, although there is a focus on upgrading efficiency and capacity. Some sections may require an increase in maximum speed to .
Major lines have been built in recent years, including the HSL-Zuid high-speed line, the Betuweroute and the Hanzelijn, connecting the province of Flevoland with the rail hub at Zwolle.
Most of the network is electrified at 1.5 kV DC (which limits interoperability with neighbouring countries), although Belgian trains – built for 3 kV DC – can run on the Dutch network at reduced power. Both the HSL-Zuid and the Betuweroute have been electrified at 25 kV AC; although conversion of existing electrified lines to 25 kV AC was considered in 1997, 2005 and 2012 at a cost of over €10 billion, a 2015 proposal (revised in 2017) is to convert to 3 kV DC at a 2017 cost of €1 billion. The higher DC voltage would reduce power losses and have faster acceleration above , so stopping trains would save seven to 20 seconds per stop."Making the case for 3 kv DC" in Railway Gazette International (England): March 2017 (Vol 173 No 3) pages 50–53
Speed is generally limited to , but on most secondary lines the maximum speed is significantly lower. On the HSL-Zuid line, the maximum speed is . Newer lines have been built to permit higher speeds.
Trains are frequent, with one or two trains per hour on lesser lines, two to four trains per hour on rural sections and up to eight or 10 trains per hour in cities. There are two types of trains: stoptreinen (local trains, which Dutch Railways calls "sprinters") and InterCities, with faster long-distance service. An intermediate category (sneltreinen, "fast trains") began being discontinued in 2007, although regional operators continue to use the term. Sneltrein and InterCity service were very similar.
All railways in the Netherlands are , and they have a total length of 3,061 route kilometers (7,028 track kilometers). In 2001, were electrified at 1,500 V DC.Elektrificatie Nederland Only is single track. The country has 2,589 level crossings, of which 1,598 are protected. The system has 7,071 switch tracks, 12,036 signals, 725 rail viaducts, 455 rail bridges (of which 56 are movable), and 15 tunnels.
ProRail maintains Dutch rail infrastructure (except metros and trams), allocating rail capacity, and traffic control. Capacity supplied by ProRail is used by five public-transport operators and the cargo operators DB Schenker, ERS, ACTS and Rail4Chem. There are also small operators such as the seven-carriage Herik Rail, which can be chartered for parties and meetings.A complete list of licensed operators can be found at europa.eu
Lines and bypasses built after 2000 Betuweroute: freight line from Rotterdam to Germany, electrified at 25 kV AC HSL-Zuid, high speed line, electrified at 25 kV AC Lelystad–Zwolle railway (Hanzelijn): Lelystad-Dronten-Kampen-Zwolle Hemboog, between Schiphol/Amsterdam-Lelylaan and Zaandam, bypassing the crossing at Amsterdam Sloterdijk It provides a direct connection between Schiphol and Zaandam/Hoorn Gooiboog, between Hilversum/Naarden-Bussum and Almere Muziekwijk, enabling direct trains between Utrecht and Almere Utrechtboog, between Schiphol/Amsterdam-Rai and Bijlmer/Utrecht, bypassing the crossing at Duivendrecht(in Dutch) utrechtboog
Proposed lines , high speed line between Flevoland and Groningen , extension to Groningen of the current line to Emmen Reactivation of Maastricht-Lanaken line
Grade separation Two stations have a bi-level crossing, rather than a level or double junction requiring protection by signals: Amsterdam Sloterdijk and Duivendrecht. Other Dutch line crossings sometimes have grade separations, especially in the Randstad.
Non-electrified lines The number between parantheses is the timetable number: Groningen-Delfzijl (84) Groningen-Roodeschool (83) Groningen-Nieuweschans Grens (85) Leeuwarden-Groningen (80) Leeuwarden-Harlingen (81) Leeuwarden-Stavoren (82) Almelo-Marienberg (72) Zutphen-Hengelo (73) Enschede-Glanerbrug Grens (522) Zutphen-Apeldoorn (67) Zutphen-Winterswijk (71) Arnhem-Winterswijk (70) Arnhem-Tiel (68) Nijmegen-Roermond (29)
Rolling stock of Nederlandse Spoorwegen N.S. (Dutch railways) have a variety of rolling stock. Intercity trains have a yellow-and-blue colour scheme, and local trains are blue, white and yellow.
Current fleet ClassImageTypeSpeed (km/h)NumberCarsOperationBuiltNotesTopOperating Max.ICMEMU1601401443–4Intercity1977–presentWill be retired when full ICNG fleet is in serviceVIRM1601401784, 61994–presentDDZ140504, 61991–1998Formerly known as DD-AR, refurbished 2010–2013Carriage16043n/a1980–1988In use by the high-speed Intercity Direct (Amsterdam-Schiphol-Rotterdam-Breda; The Hague - Eindhoven) and Intercity International to Brussels to be retired when full ICNG fleet is in serviceSLTEMU1601401314, 6Sprinter2007–2012FLIRT160140583-42016-2017Used in Gelderland, North Brabant and LimburgSNG1601402063-42014-2018Class 186 (TRAXX)Electric locomotive16063n/aIntercity (international)2008–presentUsed to pull/push ICR carriages on the international route to Brussels via the HSL-Zuid and the Intercity Direct routesICNGEMU20079+205, 8Intercity (International)2017–2023Replacing the Class 186 Used on high-speed Intercity Direct between Amsterdam and Breda and Intercity Direct between The Hague and Eindhoven. In future, it will be used on the international route to Brussels.
Links with adjacent countries The Dutch network has several cross-border sections to Belgium and Germany. Terneuzen is linked to Belgium (freight only), but not to the rest of the Dutch network; Lanaken was at one time connected to Maastricht (also freight only), but not to the Belgian network. Seven cross-border links are electrified. Due to voltage differences, trains must change single-voltage locomotives at Bad Bentheim or Venlo; Belgian 3 kV trains reach Roosendaal and Maastricht with reduced power under the Dutch 1.5 kV. The HSL Zuid has no voltage change at the border. Multi-system train units or diesel traction are also used. Several border crossings are disused or freight-only, and there are no gauge breaks at any of the crossings.
To Germany, north to south: Nieuweschans to Weener – Not electrified; due to a damaged bridge, after 3 December 2015 only traffic to Weener just over the border. Restored to full operation on 5 October 2026. Ter Apel – German side never finished; Dutch side dismantled several years after construction. Coevorden to Emlichheim – Not electrified, goods only. German track reactivated for passenger service in 2019 as far as Neuenhaus. Oldenzaal to Bentheim – Voltage change (1.5 kV DC/15 kV AC) in Bentheim station. Glanerbrug to Gronau – Not electrified. At Enschede, the track is no longer connected to the Dutch network. Broekheurne to Alstätte – Dismantled Winterswijk To Borken – Disused, mostly dismantled To Bocholt – Dismantled Zevenaar to Elten – Voltage change (25 kV AC/15 kV AC) on the open track about 1 km southeast of Elten station, allowing only multi-system or diesel trains. (Formerly voltage change 1.5 kV DC/15 kV AC in Emmerich station.) Zevenaar via Elten to Kleve – Dismantled; branched off from the Zevenaar–Emmerich line when border operations were still handled on the Dutch side of the border. Groesbeek to Kranenburg – Disused Gennep to Goch – Dismantled; site of the 1940 German invasion of the Netherlands Venlo To Straelen – Dismantled To Kaldenkirchen – Voltage change (1.5 kV DC/15 kV AC) in Venlo station. Vlodrop-station to Dalheim – Iron Rhine, disused; reactivation has been under study for a long time with little progress. Eygelshoven-Markt to Herzogenrath – Voltage change (1.5 kV DC/15 kV AC) on the open track just inside the Netherlands. Bocholtz to Vetschau – Not electrified; heritage trains only, not connected to the German network. To Belgium, east to west: