typically.nl

Nederland ain’t no Japan, but our train service is fairly decent. People like to complain about it, but on the whole trains are plentiful, punctual and reasonably clean. And the graphic design is unique.

Most Dutch trains are operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen. They used to be a government service, but were half-way privatized in the nineties. What this means is that they were split in half: a division selling tickets and operating trains, and a division maintaining the tracks (ProRail). The idea is/was that a privatized company would be able to cut costs and run more efficiently than a state-owned service.

This idea worked to a certain extent. Around the beginning of the millenniunm, service was abysmal. Trains would be too late by default and the two divisions would point blame at each other. There was even a time where trains alledgedly could not run because of autumn leaves. In recent years this has changed. More trains are now in operation, especially in the center of the country, and they are often on time. How does travelling by train work?

Buying a ticket

Your first instinct might be to purchase a ticket at the counter of a station. You might be in for a surprise, since smaller stations have no ticket office any longer, and even large stations have just a few. If I recall correctly, the largest station Utrecht Centraal has about five counters. These are not for buying tickets, as you’d have imagined. They are for “service” (whatever that means). You buy your ticket at a vending machine, which are everywhere.

You need to have this ticket prior to boarding the train. As far as tickets go, you have the obvious choices: first class, second class and one-way/two-way. You can also get day-tickets at the machine, and round trips. Discount options are available too, although the most interesting option is for Dutch people only. With a ‘voordeelurenkaart’ you get 40% off during non-peak hours. The other options are day- or weektickets with unlimited travel. Small children travel free; bigger children have their own discounted ticket called Railrunner.

It used to be that you could buy tickets in the train with the conductor. This is no longer the case: they will happily sell you a ticket but a fine of €35 is included as well. With an additional €50 if you cannot show picture ID. Booyaa!

Teh speedie

Various types of trains cross the country. Between large cities ride Intercities (yep, the English word is used). These only stop at big stations and go reasonably fast: 130 kph. These are often quite spacious, long and actually comfy. A train that makes more stops is called a sneltrein (“fast train“); this type doesn’t stop at the tinyest stations, but is otherwise pretty slow. You never take a sneltrein if there is an intercity service to your destination as well. Then at the bottom of the food chain is a stoptrein. This one stops at all stations. You definitely dont want to take one of these if you can avoid it. On the other hand, they do lend themselves to a taking quiet nap.

No train has catering these days. Students will walk intercities with a tank of coffee on their backs. The stuff is fine for instant coffee, but otherwise nothing special. Gypsies playing music and homeless people are not allowed in the trains; they are fairly rare now but you will most often meet them between stations Amsterdam Amstel and Duivendrecht (seems to be safest for them). Other forms of entertainment are people calling on their mobile and the latest craze: loud music from a phone or iPod with speakers.

Once the conductor comes, you present your ticket. She puts a stamp on it and you’re done. Sometimes, teams of people will do routine checks about what types of tickets are travelling the train. You show them your ticket, but they don’t stamp it–they just mark the type you have in a hand held computer.