Netherlands
The first public railway in the Netherlands was opened on 20th September,
1839, between Amsterdam (d'Eenhonderd Roe) and Haarlem, a distance of about
19km. It was built to the unusual broad gauge of 1945mm. The line was
extnded in stages to Rotterdam, which it reached in 1847. Another company
opened a line using the same broad gauge from Amsterdam to Utecht in
1843, extending to Arnhem in 1845. However, the latter line wa
converted to standard (1435mm) gauge in the 1850s to facilitate through
running with the German railway network via Emmerich. The original
Oude Lijn (Old Line) from Amsterdam to Rotterdam was converted to
standard gauge in 1866.
In 1860 plans were put in place for a comprehensive national network,
which would be built to standard gauge. The State railway company began
operations in 1863. By the end of the First World War, it had taken
responsibility for operation of most of the main line railways, until
in 1938 they were merged to form a new State-owned company: Nederlandse
Spoorwegen (NS).
Under EU regulations, train operation and infrastructure costs must be separately
accountable. the Netherlands, like many other European countries, has chosen to implement
this by spinning off a separate infrastructure company (ProRail).
The Netherlands has a convenient zonal
ticketing system covering all forms of public
transport (train, metro, tram, bus, and the so-called "train taxis"). This is similar to
schemes operating in major conurbations elsewhere, but is perhaps unique in covering the
whole country.
National Network
- NS Dutch Railways, the national operator.
- ProRail the Dutch
track authority (Site in Dutch)
- OVR the Dutch timetable
information service for all operators (Site in Dutch)
- HSL the new High Speed Line
between Amsterdam and the Belgian frontier. Will carry HSA domestic trains, as well as
Thalys and other international traffic (Site in Dutch)
- HSA operator of domestic
and some international trains on the new High Speed Line
Regional Passenger Operators
- Arriva Nederland
regional operator in north and west Friesland (Site in Dutch)
- Randstadrail
regional operator in the Den Haag - Rotterdam area (Site in Dutch)
- Syntus regional operator
in the eastern Netherlands (Site in Dutch, English version promised)
- Connexxion two local services:
(Site in Dutch)
- Veolia Transport Nederland regional operator
in the Limburg region
- DB and
PEG
German operator providing cross-border service to Enschede
(PEG site in German and Dutch)
Freight Railway and Main Line Freight Operators
Infrastructure Companies
Tourist and Museum Railways
- Museumstoomtram
steam hauled, narrow gauge light railway between Hoorn and Medemblik (about 15km).
Forms part of the "Historic Triangle", completed by a journey on a preserved steam
ferry boat from Medemblik to Enkhuizen, then by NS train back to Hoorn.
- MBS steam and diesel tourist line between
Haaksbergen and Boekelo near Enschede in the eastern Netherlands
- SGB steam hauled
tourist line between Goes and Hoedekenskerke in Beveland (about 7km). The line
continues for another 4km to Oudelande, but this section is not at present in regular
use. The line may be enjoyed in conjunction with a ferry boat trip from Terneuzen to
Hoedekenskerke (Site in Dutch)
- STAR at 26km, the
longest steam hauled tourist operation in the Netherlands, between Veendam and
Musselkanaal in the peat bog districts of the northern part of the country
- Stoomtreim Valkenburgse Meer
700mm gauge line making a circuit of the lake from the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum
on the outskirts of Valkenburg (Site in Dutch)
- VSM tourist
line operating steam trains between Apeldoorn and Dieren in the eastern Netherlands
(Site in Dutch)
- ZLSM tourist railway
in South Limburg, operating steam and diesel trains on a line between Kerkrade and Schin op Geul with a
branch from Simpelveld to Vetschau in Germany
- Industrial Narrow Gauge
Museum at Erica in the eastern Netherlands, offering extended rides using 700mm
and 900mm gauge material
- Historic Electric Tram
services from Haarlemmermeerstation in southern Amsterdam to Amstelveen and
Bovenkerk (Site in Dutch)
Metros and Trams
- Amsterdam Metro and
trams
- Rotterdam Metro and
trams
- Den Haag trams
and tram-trains (Site mainly in Dutch, with introduction and
travel information in English)
- Groningen
proposed trams (Site in Dutch)
- Maastricht proposed regional tram system, extending as
far as Hasselt in the Belgium (Site in Dutch)
- Utrecht Sneltram high speed tram (Site in Dutch)
Friesland
A separate page gives a listing of station
names in Dutch and Frisian for this province of the Netherlands.
