A guide to travelling with the NS
A small guide for those of you planning to visit The Netherlands and travel by rail
By Paul Stoddart-van der Maaden .
Travel information There are a number of options open to you. First of all you can purchase the 'Planner Plus' cd-rom. This is a journey-planner giving answers to departure/arrival times for all internal trains and those international routes with 'direct' connections. The cd-rom also gives walking, cycle and car routes to/from all stations plus detailed maps of the stations' surrounding areas. The 'Planner Plus' cd-rom will set you back €15.80 and is available from NS Sales Points.
The 'NS Reisplanner' is also a computer programme, containing all internal departure/arrival times. The programme costs €8.80 and is available from all NS Sales Points.
Visit the NS website at www.ns.nl and you will be able to lookup all arrival/departure times and extensive travel information from infrastructure work, timetable alterations to extra times and any known delays. Information for International trains is also available on this site. Should you be in The Netherlands and have access to Television Teletekst, take a look at pages 751-754. These pages provide up-to-date travel information including delays and cancellations. You can also purchase 'Het Spoorboekje' from all VVV Tourist Offices for €4.99, giving all departure/ arrival times for all trains. Finally, there is also a telephone number for Public Transport Travel Information. Call 0900-9292 (€0.50 per min) for train, tram, bus, metro and ferry schedules and costs.
Where to buy, and ticket options Apart from there being the new style automatic NS-ticket machines on every station (see photo in centre of this issue), medium-sized stations will also have a 'Wizzl' shop. Wizzl shops sell everything from tickets to magazines and foods. Should you prefer to pay the conductor during your journey then you will have to pay a surcharge for this luxury.
Single (Enkele Reis) & Day Returns (Dag Retour) although there are no peak/off-peak prices like in the UK, buying two singles will be more expensive than a return journey.
Day Travel Card (Dagkaart) these tickets allow you unlimited train travel throughout The Netherlands for the period of one day. For an additional €4, this will include other modes of travel including tram, metro, bus - this is known as the 'OV Dagkaart'.
Weekend Returns similar to day-returns, but allow you to take your journey between 19:00 on Friday and 04:00 on Monday morning.
Rail-Runner this ticket is especially for children aged 04-11 whilst under the supervision of an adult, these tickets allow this age-group to travel anywhere on the network for just €1. Children up to the age of three travel free.
Summer Tour (Zomertour) is available from 1 st July - 9 th September. It allows you a total of three days travel over a period of ten days. The Summer Tour Plus ticket includes all other forms of public transport too (trams, metros, bus etc).
Arriving at Schiphol Airport and you are flying with KLM, Northwest Airlines or Kenya Airways, then you can travel free of charge to/from your ultimate destination within The Netherlands. Those travelling 'Business/First Class' can even travel NS 1 st class free of charge. Do note however, this service is applicable only when travelling direct (or with one change) to/ from Schiphol Airport and is valid from the day of arrival through to one day after your departure.
Voordeel-urenkaart (advantage-hours ticket) if you generally travel after 09:00 weekdays, then you can save 40% on every journey (and so can three passengers who accompany you). Often, this will include savings on special events too, such as Floriade. The ticket is valid for 12 months and costs €45.00. Available from major NS stations, you will need proof of identity and 2 passport photos.
General Information
Luggage Facilities the majority of stations have luggage lockers, cost; around €2.50 per 24 hours.
Disabled? Call 030-2305566 for assistance with for example boarding trains. Do give them 24 hours notice though.
Cycling? Well over 100 NS stations have a bike-hire facility. When you buy your ticket, ask for a 'Huurfietsdagkaart' (one-day-bike-hire-ticket). This will cost you €4.75 per day, or a weekly hire is available too for €19.00. For more details call 0900-9292.
Travelling with your bike then you need to buy a Bike-Day-Ticket (Dagkaart Fiets). This will set you back €6.00. Be aware however, that bikes will not be permitted during rush hours.
Trein-Taxi unique I believe to the NS, it involves sharing a taxi with another passenger. For a fixed reduced price of €3.50 per
