Train routes in the Netherlands

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Railway network. Number of tracks: 1=red, 2=blue, 3=green, 4=yellow.

Train routes by timetable number

Train routes in the Netherlands are identified by numbers. The routes are listed here using the official abbreviations for the station names and in the order corresponding to direction "a" in the official timetable. Reading each list backwards corresponds to direction "b" in the timetable. [1] is a map showing these table numbers.

Long distance trains often cover several of these routes, see the next section.

The abbreviations of station names used are the official ones. To find the full names see the map mentioned above, or http://www.treinen.demon.nl/htm/station.htm for a list, or type the abbreviation in ns.nl, which converts the abbreviation to the full name and also gives station information.

For schedules and maps of routes see ns.nl.

  • 10: asd, ass, asdl, shl - shl, hfd, nvp, ledn - ledn, dvnk, vst, gvm,laa, gvc/gv
  • 11: gvc, gv, gvmw, rsw, dt, dtz, sdm, rtd, rtb, rtz, rlb, brd, zwd, ddr, ddzd, zlw, zvb, odb, rsd rsd, bgn, rb, kbd, krg, bzl, gs, arn, mdb, vss, vs
  • 12: hlm, ovn, zvt
  • 13: hlm, bll, sptz, sptn, drh, bv, hk, utg, cas, hlo, amr, amrn, hwd, obd, hn
  • 14: ledn, ldl, apn, bdg, wd
  • 15: apn, bsk, wadn, wad, gd
  • 16: gvc, laa, vbl, ldv, ztmv, zcw, ztmd, dtwa, dmp, ztmm, ztmb, ley, ztml, ztms, ztmp, zsh, zcw, ztmv, ldv
  • 17: gvc, laa, vbl, ldv, pnk, rdr, rtwp, rtkw, rtbw, rth - Hofplein Line, the first electrified line in the country (1908)
    line 18
  • 18: hlds, hld, msw, mss, vdw, vdg, vdo, nwl, sdm, rtd
  • 19: ddr, ddrs, sdt, gnd, gr, akl, ldm, bsd, gdm
  • 20: hdr, hdrz, ana, sgn, hwd, amrn, amr, hlo, cas, utg, kma, wm, kzd, kbw, zd, ass, asd
  • 21: {asd, ass} / {hfd, shl, asdl}, zd, zdk, pmr, pmo, hn, hnk, hks, bkg, bkf, ekz
  • 22: {asd, asdm, asa, dvd, asb, ac, bkl, mas, ut} / {shl, asdz, ut}
  • 23: htn, htnc
  • 24: ut, utl, htn, cl, gdm, zbm, ht, vg, btl, beth, ehb, ehv
    • gdm, tl
  • 25: ehv, gp, hze, wt, rm, ec, srn, std, lut, bk, bde, mt
  • 26: mtr, mt, mes, sgl, vk, sog, kmr, vdl, hrl, lg, egh, cvm, krd
  • 27: ddr, ddzd, zlw, bdpb, bd, gz, tbr, tbwt, tb, ot, btl, beth, ehb, ehv, hmh, hm, hmbh, dn, hrt, br, vl
  • 29: nm, nmh, ck, bmr, vlb, vry, br, vl, tg, rv, sm, rm
  • 30: dvd, dmnz, wp, almm, alm, almp, almb, lls
  • 31: wd, bkl
  • 32: wp/almm, ndb, bsmz, hvsn, hvs, hvsp, hor, uto, ut
  • 33: ut, bnk, db, mrn, klp, ed, wf, otb, ah
  • 40: {asd, asdm, dmn} / {shl, asdz, rai, dvd, dmnz}, wp, ndb, bsmz, hvsn, hvs, brn, amf
  • 41: amf, apd, dv, dvc, hon, rsn, wdn, aml
  • 42: ut, uto, bhv, dld, amf, dld, bhv, uto, ut, bnk, db, mrn, klp, ed
  • 50: gvc, vb, ztm, ztmo, gd, gdg, wd, vtn, utt, ut
    • rtd, rtn, rta, cps, nwk, gd
  • 51: amf, amfs, nkk, pt, eml, hd, ns, hde, wz, zl, mp, hgv, bl, asn, hrn, gn
    • zl, mp, swk, wv, hr, akm, gw, lw
  • 60: zl, wh, ost, dv, zp, bmn, dr, rh, vp, ahpr, ahp, ah, est, nml, nm
  • 61: nm, nmd, wc, rvs, o, ow, rs, hto, ht, tb, tbwt, tbr, gz, bd, etn, rsd
  • 63: zw, kpn
  • 64: zl, dl, omn, mrb, hdb, gbg, co, dln, na, emnb, emn
  • 65: zl, hno, rat, nvd, wdn, aml, amri, bn, hgl, esd, es
  • 73: Zutphen (zp) to Oldenzaal
  • (some not listed here, all non-electrified, see below)

For a given departure and arrival station such lists can be conveniently produced by extracting them from the trainroute in the source code of the webpage produced by requesting a journey advice from http://www.ns.nl/domestic/ .

Non-electrified lines

(with timetable number)

  • Groningen-Delfzijl 84
  • Groningen-Roodeschool 83
  • Groningen-Nieuweschans Grens 85
  • Groningen-Leeuwarden 80
  • Leeuwarden-Harlingen 81
  • Leeuwarden-Stavoren 82
  • Zwolle-Kampen 63
  • Zwolle-Wierden 65
  • 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
  • Landgraaf-Landgraaf Grens 525

Crossing lines

(not including just crossing tracks, such as fly-overs at a junction)

See Train station#Train stations at a crossing.

Without station:

  • 10/11 and 50
  • 16 crossing itself
  • 17 and 50 (both branches)
  • The HSL-Zuid being constructed crosses 14, 50 and 61.

Railway triangles

Normally a railway junction means a location from where there are railway lines in three directions A, B and C, where trains coming from A can go to B and C, while to go from B to C the train has to reverse direction. Sometimes there is also a nearby arc from B to C, hence a small triangle of lines:

  • Gooiboog: Weesp, Almere, Naarden-Bussum
  • The triangle Den Haag Centraal, Den Haag HS, Den Haag Laan van NOI, with additionally a line from Den Haag Centraal to Voorburg, crossing the line between the other two (see below)

Triangles without regular passenger traffic on one or two of the sides:

  • west of Haarlem
  • Rotterdam west: Sporendriehoek (track triangle)
  • Den Haag HS, Den Haag CS, Voorburg, with additionally a line from Den Haag HS to Den Haag Laan van NOI (see above)
  • Diemen-Zuid, Watergraafsmeer yard (bypassing Diemen), Weesp
  • Haren, Groningen, Kropswolde
  • Amsterdam Centraal, Hemhaven, Zaandam (bypassing Amsterdam Sloterdijk)

Two crossing lines and an arc:

  • Hemboog at Amsterdam Sloterdijk. This bypasses the Amsterdam Sloterdijk station and provides a direct connection between Schiphol and Zaandam / Hoorn. It would also allow a direct train service from Schiphol to Alkmaar, but that is not provided yet due to a lack of capacity.
  • The Utrechtboog at Duivendrecht, which connects the lines Amsterdam CS-Bijlmer-Utrecht CS and Weesp-Schiphol-Nieuw Vennep-Leiden. Until the safety system of the Utrechtboog is done (estimated date: the beginning of 2006), passengers from Utrecht have to change trains at Duivendrecht when traveling to the airport. Schiphol can also be reached by a direct local train from Utrecht via Hilversum, which is about 15 minutes slower.

Future train routes

There are a couple of new train projects in the Netherlands being either established or investigated.

  • The HSL-Zuid (Hoge Snelheidslijn Zuid, High-speed Line South) will provide a faster connection between Amsterdam Central Station, Schiphol airport, Rotterdam and onward to the Belgian cities of Antwerp and Brussels, where it connects to the already existing high-speed line to Paris, France. This line is being worked on right now, and should be completed in 2007.
  • The HSL-Zuid will have branches from the main rail line, connecting The Hague and Breda. Next to the services going straight to Belgium, there will be a shuttle service between The Hague. Rotterdam, Breda and on to Antwerp and Brussels. A second shuttle will be operating between Breda and Amsterdam.
  • The Hanzelijn would connect Lelystad with Zwolle, via Dronten. This line is almost definitely being made, and would shorten the travelling time between the Randstad and the northern provinces.
  • There are investigations about a Magnetic levitation train line between Amsterdam, Flevoland and Groningen to shorten that travelling time even more.
  • RandstadRail is reconstructing the Hofpleinlijn between Rotterdam and The Hague, merging it with the Rotterdam metro. In the Hague the Zoetermeerlijn is to be merged with the city tram system.
  • The connection between Maastricht and the Belgian Lanaken is being reopened, for freight trains only at first. There are plans for a light rail connection between these two places, and extensions to the bigger Belgian city of Hasselt.
  • There are plans to improve and extend the line between Weert and Neerpelt (Belgium), currently used for low-speed freight traffic only, to carry regular passenger services. This would create a fast connection between Eindhoven, Middle Dutch Limburg and North Belgian Limburg and eventually Antwerp. Currently, the only connection to Antwerp is via Roosendaal.
  • The Betuweroute will be a freight line connecting Rotterdam with the German Ruhr area.

Changes of NS services from 2007 due to the HSL-Zuid

The following is especially relevant for people who need to avoid the HSL-Zuid: people traveling in peak hours who do not want to pay a much higher fare, and holders of NS passes.

The existing Benelux train service will be replaced by an HSL Benelux train, stopping in Amsterdam, Schiphol, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Mechelen and the Brussels Central and Midi.

The Vlissingen - Amsterdam intercity trains will run via Haarlem instead of Schiphol, and will run twice an hour. This route takes about the same time as the route via Schiphol, and the additional train per hour will replace the Benelux train when it comes to domestic services.

This means that travelling with NS from Rotterdam to Schiphol, one will have to change in Leiden, using the preserved train service Den Haag Centraal - Leiden Centraal - Schiphol - Amsterdam Centraal.

Train number series

Below are the train routes in the Netherlands with starting number of the train number series, not to be confused with the numbers of locomotives, rail cars or train-sets, or with the table numbers of routes in the paper timetable, given in the previous section.

IC: intercity, EC: EuroCity D: semi-fast train, R: stoptrein, LR: light rail, ICE: InterCityExpress International, THA: Thalys, B: Boat train Hoek van Holland, RB: DB RegionalBahn, RE: RegionalExpress, CNL: CityNightLine

E.g., in the 1400 series the last two digits are 01, 05, 09, 13 and 17 in anti-clockwise direction (timetable numbers 11b, 10b, 20a) and 02, 06, 10, 14, 18 and 22 in clockwise direction (timetable numbers 20b, 10a, 11a).

Train routes with reversal of direction

Train routes with reversal of direction on the way (all with multiple units), with station:

Stretches with four tracks

  • 10 Schiphol – Hoofddorp (section Hoofddorp – beyond Nieuw-Vennep under construction : 2 extra tracks are the High Speed line.
  • 10, 11 Leiden – Rijswijk
  • 10, 16, 17 Den Haag Centraal - Den Haag Laan v NOI
  • 11 Schiedam – Dordrecht
  • 20, 40 Amsterdam Centraal – Amsterdam Muiderpoort
  • 20 Amsterdam Bijlmer – Utrecht (under construction, completed in Dec 2005)
  • 24, 27 Boxtel – Eindhoven
  • 32, 42 Utrecht Centraal – Utrecht Overvecht
  • 50 Utrecht – Woerden (under construction)
  • 50 Gouda – Gouda Goverwelle

Links to main cities in the railway network, arranged according to location

       Den Helder      Enkhuizen   |        Leeuwarden Groningen
                     Hoorn             |                 Assen      
                                           |
                               Lelystad  |              Zwolle
       Alkmaar              Almere   |
   Haarlem Amsterdam
        Schiphol                                              Deventer    Enschede
       Leiden                        Amersfoort Apeldoorn
                                                                           Zutphen
The Hague      Gouda      Utrecht       Arnhem
   Delft                                          Nijmegen
      Rotterdam
           Dordrecht                   Den Bosch      
          Roosendaal Breda Tilburg 
                                                  Eindhoven
                                                     Roermond
Vlissingen                                          Sittard
                                                  Maastricht Heerlen

See also

External links

Railway maps:

nl:Spoorlijnen in Nederland

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