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61-511: Nederlandse Spoorwegen ( Dutch: [ˈneːdərlɑntsə ˈspoːrˌʋeːɣə(n)] ; English: "Dutch Railways" ; NS ) is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands . It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is the busiest in the European Union , and the third busiest in the world after Switzerland and Japan . The rail infrastructure

122-464: A replacement bus service . It is therefore more economically viable to plan such track occupations for periods of reduced usage (e.g. 'off-peak', overnight or holiday times) to minimise the impact on normal services and revenue. Each transport system represents a contribution to a country's infrastructure , and as such must make economic sense or eventually close. From this, each has a particular role or roles. These may change with time but they affect

183-471: A traction maintenance depot , locomotives are cleaned, inspected for wear, repaired, updated, or otherwise improved. Decommissioned locomotives with steam generation capacities were sometimes positioned in semi-permanent locations and their boiler capacity was used to provide steam to heat facilities, power machinery, warm passenger cars, or snow and ice clearing activities such as defrosting railroad switches in cold weather conditions. Railroad equipment that

244-803: A train with a toilet is used, every newly ordered train has a toilet and in 2025 every train has to have a toilet. The last trains on the hoofdrailnet without a toilet were the NS SGMm (the so-called classical "Sprinter", retired 2018–21) and the Sprinter Lighttrain (SLT, these trains have since had on-board toilets retrofitted ). NS provides three kinds of train service: There are also two former train categories, which are now used only by private operators: You can travel using contactless payments on all Dutch public transport: on all domestic trains, metros, trams and busses, nationwide. Using contactless payments, you travel 2nd class, regular full price. The price

305-455: A busy commuter railway might have blocks a few hundred metres long. A disadvantage of fixed blocks, is that: the faster trains are permitted to run, the longer the stopping distance, and therefore the longer the blocks need to be. This decreases a line's capacity. With moving block , computers are used to calculate a 'safe zone', behind each moving train, which no other train may enter. The system depends on precise knowledge of where each train

366-417: A circular train depot, known as a roundhouse that surrounded a turntable . The presence of a work train on a given section of track will temporarily decrease the capacity of the route. The normal method in such operations is to cease other traffic altogether during the track 'occupation'. Services may be diverted by an alternative route, if available; alternatively, passenger services may be maintained using

427-476: A concession — the concessionaire — typically pays either a fixed sum or a percentage of revenue to the owner of the entity from which it operates. Examples of concessions within another business are concession stands within sporting venues and movie theaters and concessions in department stores operated by other retailers . Short term concessions may be granted as promotional space for periods as short as one day. Concession agreement may also state

488-423: A concession in the rights of the operator and its remuneration. A lease gives a company the right to operate and maintain a public utility, but investment remains the responsibility of the public. Under a management contract the operator will collect the revenue only on behalf of the government and will in turn be paid an agreed fee. A grant of land or a property by the government may be in return for services or for

549-529: A consequence of personnel shortages. NS has been involved in various controversies. The NS covers most of the country, with almost all cities connected, mostly with a service frequency of two trains an hour or more and at least four trains per hour between all of the largest five cities ( Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague , Utrecht and Eindhoven ) as well as some smaller cities ( Nijmegen , Amersfoort , Arnhem , 's-Hertogenbosch , Dordrecht and Leiden ). From December 2008 train frequencies were increased on

610-907: A cross-border interest has been subject to the principles of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union . The European Commission had originally included public concession contracts in the Services Directive of 1992, but these were removed from its scope by the European Council. However, the European Parliament and the Council issued a further Directive 2014/23/EU on the award of concession contracts on 26 February 2014, which required EU member states to introduce national legislation covering

671-414: A different organ in the company The freight business, NS Cargo, merged with Deutsche Bahn ; the resulting company operated as Railion in 2000 and then as DB Cargo . Performance deteriorated after the reforms, and the company suffered multiple unorganized strikes. The entire board of directors resigned in late-2001. Another change in strategy followed. Karel Noordzij became CEO in 2002 and reversed many of

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732-412: A freight yard, trains are composed in a classification yard . Switcher or shunter locomotives help the composing. A unit train (also called a block train), which carries a block of cars all of the same origin and destination, does not get sorted in a classification yard, but may stop in a freight yard for inspection, engine servicing and/or crew changes. Combining freight and passenger operations on

793-518: A large part in decisions about railways, such as the Beeching Axe . In the UK , building or rebuilding a railway usually requires an Act of Parliament . In many countries, rail subsidies allow unprofitable, but socially desirable, railways to continue to operate. Concession (contract) Public services such as water supply may be operated as a concession. In the case of a public service concession,

854-408: A particular use, a right to undertake and profit by a specified activity, a lease for a particular purpose. A concession may include the right to use some existing infrastructure required to carry out a business (such as a water supply system in a city); in some cases, such as mining , it may involve merely the transfer of exclusive or non-exclusive easements . In the private sector, the owner of

915-460: A pivotal role in the post-war reconstruction of the Netherlands; it provided the required logistical services in a time when there was little alternative to rail transport. The company declined in the 1960s – like many other railways – and operated at a loss. There was increased competition from other modes of transport. In addition, national coal distribution from Limburg became less profitable;

976-485: A private company enters into an agreement with the government to have the exclusive right to operate, maintain and carry out investment in a public utility (such as a water privatisation ) for a given number of years. Other forms of contracts between public and private entities, namely lease contract and management contract (in the water sector often called by the French term affermage ), are closely related but differ from

1037-485: A single track with passing loops poses operational problems, because of the different demands of freight operators and public transport. In many smaller countries passenger operations are done during the day, while freight trains operate mostly during the night. Dedicated tracks have been assigned to some operations. Inactive locomotives may be housed in a locomotive depot (UK term) or engine house, also known as an engine shed or roundhouse (US). In engine facilities , or

1098-459: A smartphone with a timetable , fares information, and a separate card reader to read the OV-chipkaart . Train drivers use a tablet with an app called "TimTim" to save energy and keep up with the timetable. The train driver can also see other trains in front or behind their train. In 2018, NS saw its number of passengers increase by nearly 3 percent. On average, 1.3 million people took the train on

1159-548: A surcharge of €1. They are a disposable use-once only. It is possible to buy e-tickets online on the Dutch Railways website. E-tickets can also be purchased on the Belgian NMBS/SNCB B -Europe website. For long-term use, season tickets are available. Travelling with these cards and tickets, one has to register starting a journey ( check-in ) and ending it ( check out ) at the destination. One always has to travel away from

1220-484: A weekday, 100.000 more than in 2016 and the over 250 NS train stations are becoming increasingly crowded. Also see List of busiest railway stations in The Netherlands Railway operator Rail transport operations are the day-to-day operations of a railway. A railway has two major components: the infrastructure (the permanent way , tracks, stations, freight facilities, viaducts, tunnels, etc.) and

1281-432: Is a widened letter 'N' and a sideways (reversed) 'S'-shape. The two arrows in the logo represent the train's movement, and the two lines in the middle represent the track. In dealing with the general public, these distinctions are not made and the terms Nederlandse Spoorwegen and NS are used. NS has contracts with Connexxion and BBA, now Veolia Transport for the provision of bus services to replace train services in

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1342-522: Is also a partner (along with Stena Line and British railway company Greater Anglia ) in the Dutchflyer service. NS has also entered into a partnership with KLM to operate services on the new HSL-Zuid under the name Intercity Direct towards Breda and Brussels. Intercity Direct is part of NS International ; other services such as Eurostar to France and Intercity-Express to Germany and Switzerland are also part of NS International. The hoofdrailnet

1403-592: Is and how fast it is moving. With moving block, lineside signals are not provided, and instructions are passed directly to the trains. It has the advantage of increasing track capacity by allowing trains to run much closer together. The system is only used on very few independent networks such as underground lines. Most rail systems serve a number of functions on the same track, carrying local, long-distance and commuter passenger trains, and freight trains. The emphasis on each varies by country. Some urban rail transit , rapid transit and light rail systems are isolated from

1464-431: Is considered obsolete by being outdated or inefficient when compared to newer equipment, or by being worn to a point that is un-repairable, may be taken out of railroad service. These pieces of equipment may have usable parts removed by the railroad company for reuse on other machines, or may be sold as complete units for reconditioning and reuse by another user. If the equipment is considered completely un-serviceable, and it

1525-584: Is financially unwise to attempt to make it so, the entire machine may be declared scrap and is usually sold to be taken away and dismantled for recycling of the raw materials. If the process of salvage or scrapping is financially unrecoverable, the equipment may be left in place until it becomes possible to do so. In some cases a significant or desirable piece of equipment will be purchased for preservation. There units may be placed in railway museums or may be purchased by railway preservation groups or private collectors. Steam locomotives were frequently housed in

1586-440: Is largely owned and operated by private railway companies. In countries with nationalized rail systems such as China and France , both the infrastructure and rolling stock are owned and operated directly or indirectly by the national government. The operation of the railway is through a system of control, originally by mechanical means, but nowadays more usually electronic and computerized . Signalling systems used to control

1647-461: Is maintained by network manager ProRail , which was split off from NS in 2003. Freight operator NS Cargo merged with DB Cargo in 2000. NS runs 4,800 scheduled domestic trains a day, serving 1.1 million passengers. The NS also provides international rail services from the Netherlands to other European destinations and carries out concessions on some foreign rail markets through its subsidiary Abellio . World War I caused an economic downturn in

1708-484: Is the official core internal passenger rail network of the Netherlands. Currently, NS has a concession until 1 January 2034 to provide all passenger services on this network, except that on some stretches there is an overlap with lines for which other operators have a concession. Some of the most notable of these stretches are those from Elst railway station to Arnhem Centraal railway station , where NS shares tracks with Arriva , and further on to Arnhem Velperpoort . Here

1769-445: Is the same as using the anonymous ov-chipcard (see below). You do not need an app or ticket, nor do you have to register or signup to use this. Apple Pay, Google Pay and many contactless debit and credit cards can directly be used. Travelling using contactless works as following: At the start of your journey, place your smartphone or bank card in front of the reader to check-in. At the end of your journey, or if you transfer, check-out at

1830-475: The rolling stock (the passenger coaches , locomotives, freight cars , etc.) Ownership and operation of these two components varies by location. In some places (notably, most of North America) private railway companies own and operate both the infrastructure and rolling stock (for example, Union Pacific ). In the United Kingdom, the infrastructure is owned and maintained by Network Rail while rolling stock

1891-417: The 1991 EU Directive 91/440 ; the latter required railway infrastructure and transport activities to be managed independently. Although the state called the process " corporatization " ( verzelfstandiging ), it really only meant the withdrawal of subsidies. The changes were carried out by Rob den Besten, who became chief executive officer of NS after the retirement of Leo Ploeger. NS' infrastructure division

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1952-437: The Netherlands that caused the two largest Dutch railway companies, Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM) and Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (SS), to become unprofitable. The companies avoided bankruptcy by integrating their operations, which was complete by 1917. The cooperation was for both economic and ideological reasons, and the state provided support by buying shares in both companies. In 1938,

2013-525: The case of planned and unplanned cancellations. On 23 July 2010 NS sold Strukton to the construction company Oranjewoud N.V.. This concluded a long history of planning, designing and executing track development done by the NS. There is a delay refund scheme entitling passengers to a partial or full refund of the ticket price if a journey is delayed by half an hour or more. The scheme does not apply on short-distance journeys (tickets less than €2.30) and cases in which

2074-470: The centre and the east, Veolia on the 'Maaslijn' and 'Heuvellandlijn' in the southeast, Arriva in the north and most of the east of the country and on the ' Merwede-Lingelijn ' (from Dordrecht to Geldermalsen). The OV-chipkaart is also used on buses and trams, where hourly tickets are for sale for those who have too little credit to travel but enough cash. NS defines off-peak hours as weekdays from 09:00–16:00 and 18:30–06:30, and on Saturdays and Sundays

2135-473: The company's CEO is former minister Wouter Koolmees , after Marjan Rintel left to become CEO of KLM . NS was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic , which caused massive drops in passenger numbers. The company received significant financial support from the national government in order to keep the company solvent. In 2022, the company made significant cuts in its timetable, running fewer and shorter trains, as

2196-577: The cost of the scheme is paid by ProRail, since they are responsible for part of the delays. Tobacco smoking is prohibited both on trains and in stations. Smoking on trains has been prohibited since 2004, with smoking in stations permitted in designated smoking zones, until this too was disallowed in October 2020. Since June 2003, the sale of coffee , soft drinks , beer , sandwiches , candy , etc., has ceased aboard domestic trains. The increasing number of Servex convenience stores at railway stations and

2257-505: The delay is the result of planned cancellations that were announced some days in advance. Refunds are, in general, half the ticket price of a one-way trip after a delay of over 30 minutes, and the full ticket price after a delay of one hour or more. That applies to nearly all kinds of tickets. The refund is not considered monetary compensation for lost time but rather as a reduction in charges where poor service has been provided. The system has been improved for holders of some rail passes. Part of

2318-452: The discovery of a gas field near Slochteren led to coal losing market share to natural gas in power plants and homes. NS' response, the Spoorslag '70 plan which increased service and introduced intercity service, failed to restore profitability. The company was deemed nationally important and received state subsidies . NS was reorganized following the neoliberal reforms of the 1980s and

2379-468: The facilities and assets to the concessionaire. Those that were built, acquired and designated by the concessionaire may initially be owned and controlled by the concessionaire and these will be transferred to the authority once its concession duration is ended. Muhammad Ali of Egypt used contracts called concessions to build cheap infrastructure - dams and railroads - whereby foreign European companies would raise capital, build projects, and collect most of

2440-402: The facilities. The assets and facilities that were built, designated, and acquired prior to the turnover of operations and maintenance from the authority to the concessionaire and are included on a plan of a project that was planned by an authority are predetermined as owned by the authority and to be operated and maintained by the concessionaire upon the turnover of operations and maintenance of

2501-604: The following services: Arnhem–Nijmegen (8 trains per hour) and The Hague–Rotterdam (12 trains per hour), Amsterdam Centraal–Hoofddorp (16 trains per hour). A night train service was added between Utrecht, Gouda and Rotterdam. Trains usually run between 5:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. although there is also a nightline which connects major cities in the Randstad throughout the night, as well as in weekends also some major cities in North Brabant . In addition to its domestic services, NS

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2562-565: The graphic design company Tel Design. Introduced in that same year, it replaced an earlier design which had been used since 1946. The logo, pervasive within trains and railway stations in the Netherlands, plays a significant part in Nederlandse Spoorwegen 's signage, promotions, advertising, and graphic design. The logo usually appears in blue or black on a dark yellow or white background. Since its introduction, NS livery has also had this same distinct dark yellow or white colour. The logo

2623-411: The intrinsic nature of the system. The slope at which trains run must also be calculated correctly. In this stage, it is decided where tunnels pass. Rail transport systems affect the human geography. Large cities (such as Nairobi ) may be founded by a railroad passing through. Historically, when a station has been built outside the town or city it is intended to serve, that town has expanded to include

2684-411: The main stations have to be served at least twice an hour per direction from 6 a.m. to midnight and the other stations at least once an hour. Exceptions are possible until the start of the next concession. The next concession period is 2025–2035. For the 2015–2025 concession, requirements include: for every train service where on average more than one-third of the passengers travel longer than 30 minutes,

2745-567: The movement of traffic may be either of fixed block or moving block variety. Most blocks are 'fixed' blocks, i.e. they delineate a section of track between two defined points. On timetable, train order, and token-based systems, blocks usually start and end at selected stations. On signalling-based systems, blocks usually start and end at signals . Alternatively, cab signalling may be in use. The lengths of blocks are designed to allow trains to operate as frequently as necessary. A lightly used branch line might have blocks many kilometres long, whilst

2806-399: The national system in the cities they serve. Some freight lines serving mines are also isolated, and these are usually owned by the mine company. An industrial railway is a specialized rail system used inside factories or mines. Steep grade railways are usually isolated, with special safety systems. The permanent way trails through the physical geography. The tracks' geometry is limited by

2867-588: The operating revenue but would provide Ali's government with a portion of that revenue. Within the European Union , the granting of concessions by public bodies is subject to regulation. Works concessions have been subject to award rules for some time as Directive 2004/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of the EU on public procurement applied to works concessions. The award of services concessions with

2928-498: The passenger cars. Most public transport passenger operations happen in the train station and in the passenger car . The passenger buys a ticket , either in the station, or on the train (sometimes at a higher fare ). There are generally speaking two ways of validating a ticket: Some passenger cars, especially in long-distance high-speed trains, have a restaurant or bar. These need to be catered. In recent times, train catering has been diminished somewhat by vending machines in

2989-583: The physical geography. Trains are pushed/pulled by one or more locomotive units. Two or more locomotives coupled in multiple traction are frequently used in freight trains. Railroad cars or rolling stock consist of passenger cars , freight cars , maintenance cars and in America cabooses . Modern passenger trains sometimes are pushed/pulled by a tail and head unit (see top and tail ), of which not both need to be motorised or running. Many passenger trains consist of multiple units with motors mounted beneath

3050-453: The point of one's latest check-in. Thus, in the case of a voluntary detour, one has to check out and check in to register starting a new journey. Travellers need to be aware of the various companies other than the Nederlandse Spoorwegen . One needs to check out with one company and check in with another on some stations. There is common tariff system with four smaller passenger train operating companies: Keolis Nederland and Connexxion in

3111-535: The reforms to restore confidence in the company. The state no longer considered competitive passenger service to be viable, and began granting concessions with the goal of one concession per line. NS received a concession to run main line routes until 2025. The timetable change on 10 December 2006 saw the most routes to approximate the symmetry minute in clock-face schedules to the one used in most other European countries. The previous symmetry minute 46 led to problems with cross-border trains. As of December 2022

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3172-542: The relatively short duration of most train journeys in the Netherlands have lowered the demand for on-train services. In 2005, a much reduced in-train service of drinks and small snacks has been reintroduced on longer journeys. Now, the RailTender service primarily operates in the intercity trains on the trajectory between Utrecht and Zwolle/Eindhoven, Zwolle and Almere, 's-Hertogenbosch and Nijmegen, Apeldoorn and Amersfoort, Rotterdam and Breda/Roosendaal/Antwerp. Conductors have

3233-416: The role of an authority and concessionaire and conditions regarding control and ownership of the assets and facilities such as concession can either allow the authority to retain or keep actual ownership of the assets, turning over to the concessionaire and reverting the control and ownership back to an authority once the duration of their concession ended or both the authority and concessionaire control and own

3294-446: The same way. If you use a bank card, be sure to remove it from your wallet, to ensure that the system uses the right card. The costs will be shown in your bank transfer statement the next day, along with a website link and code to get your travel itinerary. The OV-chipkaart is another common form of fare payment. Single or return tickets, used by incidental travellers and tourists, are available at ticket machines and service counters at

3355-496: The specifications of each particular system. Rail transport systems are built into the landscape , including both the physical geography (hills, valleys, etc.) and the human geography (location of settlements). The rail transport system may in turn feedback into the human geography. The permanent way of a system must pass through the geography and geology of its region. This may be flat or mountainous, may include obstacles such as water and mountains. These determine, in part,

3416-503: The state bought the remaining shares and merged the companies to create NS; NS was not nationalised . During World War II , NS was forced by the Germans to construct railways to Westerbork transit camp and transport almost a hundred thousand Jews to extermination camps . The company's only wartime strike was during the Dutch famine of 1944–45 ; NS opted not to strike a year earlier. NS played

3477-651: The station, or buildings (especially Inns ) sprung up near the station. The existence of a station may increase the number of commuters who live in a town or village and so cause it to become a dormitory town . The transcontinental railroad was a large factor in American colonization of the Western frontier . China's railroad expansion into Tibet may have similar consequences. Rail transport systems are often used for purposes they were not designed for, but have evolved into due to changes in human geography. Politics can play

3538-453: The tracks are shared by three operators, as Breng, ultimately part of Transdev , operates there in addition to the two previously mentioned operators. Officially the overlaps do not constitute competition on the same lines. The concession was free of charge until 2009, and costs an increasing amount since then, up to €30 million for the year 2014. The concession distinguishes the main stations and other stations. Except on New Year's Eve ,

3599-633: The train station or on the train. When not in use, passenger cars are stored, maintained and repaired in coach yards . Freight or cargo trains are loaded and unloaded in intermodal terminals (also called container freight stations or freight terminals), and at customer locations (e.g. mines , grain elevators , factories ). Intermodal freight transport uses standardized containers , which are handled by cranes . Along their routes, freight trains are routed through rail yards to sort cars and assemble trains for their final destinations, as well as for equipment maintenance, refueling, and crew changes. Within

3660-412: The whole day. Therefore, the full fare is required on weekdays 06:30–09:00 and 16:00–18:30. With an OV-chipkaart that allows for a discount or free travel, one is automatically granted the discount or free travel at the time of checking in. There are several season tickets available that suit individual preferences. The NS corporate logo was designed in 1968 by Gert Dumbar and Gert-Jan Leuvelink, both of

3721-425: Was split off into NS Railinfratrust . Plans to split the remainder of NS met with limited success due to trade union opposition; the new companies created were NS Reizigers and locomotive maintenance company NedTrain . Passenger transport was to be conducted on a commercial basis, but the state continued to subsidize non-viable routes. Internally, route managers assumed de facto control, but they were dependent on

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