NS-Olanda

In iunie 2015 am facut o calatorie feroviara prin Europa, avand ca punct de pornire si sosire Amsterdam-Schipol. Prima etapa trebuia sa fie Schipol-Hilversum, doar ca ne-a placut asa de mult trenul in care eram (Koploper, modernizat) incat am schimbat ruta a.i. sa mergem pana la capat (Enschede)

In English, for Caspar:
In June 2015 we were on a railway trip thru Europe, starting and ending in Amsterdam-Schipol. First leg was supposed to be Schipol-Hilversum but we loved the modernized Koploper so much that we changed our route and rode it until its terminus (Enschede)


Schipol Station


Hilversum cu cateva biciclete / Hilversum with a few bikes


Traverse de lemn cu ATB / Wooden sleepers with ATB
(I assume that's ATB, it might be ERTMS)


Trenul nostru in Enschede / Our Koploper in Enschede


DM90


Legare / Coupling


Legate / Coupled
Mi-a placut cat de rapid s-a realizat manevra / I liked the speed of this maneuver


Capatul caii DB in Enschede / End of DB Rail in Enschede


Piata din fata garii Enschede / Enschede station square

Nu este prima calatorie in Olanda, am mai fost si acum cativa ani si ne-a placut foarte mult tara, atat ca imagine cat si ca atitudine a locuitorilor (inclusiv a personalului cailor ferate; aici e o poveste pentru un mesaj urmator)

This is not our first trip to The Netherlands, we visited this country a few years ago and we loved both the views as well as the people's attitude (including NS personnel; but that's a story for another message)

I like the DM90 trains; they are relative comfortable for a regional train. They have max speed of 140km/h. The only negative thing about it is a lack of airconditioning. They can be very hot in warm summer days...
NS has 50 DM90 trainsets, but sindce most regional lines are concessions with private companies like Arriva and Veolia (they use all Stadler trains) are DM90 trains rare in Olanda. You can only see them in Kampen- Zwolle- Endschede line.
But this line will be electrificated in a few years... The trains are then completely unnecessary.
With an age of 19 years, they are too young to scrap. Maybee they are something for Romania? They are much better in comfort than the DH2 trainsets...

@Hawkuletz; Next time when you visit Olanda, come to Hoorn/ Enkhuizen! From Hilversum there is a direct train to Hoorn and Enkhuizen via Amsterdam every 30 minutes and they are also with those Koplopers most of the time. Enschede is a city without an old center; the city is relative young and build in the 1920's with textile industry. Hoorn and Enkhuizen are old harbour cities with historic centers originated from 1500 ac.


Enkhuizen.


Hoorn.

In General, the cities in the west of Olanda are more historic than in the east. For tourists they are more worth visiting.

@Caspar: Thanks for the tips, we'll keep that in mind. And we'll let you know next time we visit The Netherlands, perhaps we can meet for a little chat. Anyway, our stopover in Enschede was about an hour, our final destination for that day was Copenhagen (via Munster and Hamburg). On return we arrived from Bruxelles, via Breda (for a visit to Baarle-Nassau) and then Amsterdam.

Vizita noastra precedenta a fost in 2012. Am luat avionul pana la Frankfurt si de acolo ICE-ul pana la Amsterdam unde am stat o saptamana, apoi ne-am intors pe aceeasi ruta (ICE la Frankfurt si avion pana la Bucuresti).

In timpul saptamanii la Amsterdam, o zi am petrecut-o vizitand Zaanse Schans (satul istoric cu mori de vant si muzeul ceasurilor, povestea detaliata a drumului pana acolo mai jos), in alta zi am fost la Haga, apoi la Utrecht si in a patra am vizitat Gouda. Cateva din destinatii au fost alese pentru a ne intalni cu cativa fosti colegi (si prieteni) ai prietenei mele Cristina (care a lucrat pentru o companie olandeza in Romania).

Pentru vizita la Zaanse Schans am cumparat un bilet de la automat si in loc sa verificam panourile de afisaj am intrebat la informatii. Doamna de acolo ne-a indicat un tren Intercity ca fiind primul tren disponibil pentru destinatia noastra. Ne-am urcat dar trenul nu a oprit in Zaanse Schans. De fapt, nici nu am observat statia, dar dupa vreo jumatate de ora ne-am gandit ca am trecut de ea asa ca am pornit in cautarea conductorului. Trenul consta din doua rame VIRM cuplate si nu era nici un conductor in trenul nostru pustiu. Am intrebat un pasager (noroc ca toti olandezii vorbesc engleza!) si ne-a spus ca el crede ca trenul acesta nu a oprit la statia cu pricina dar nu e sigur. In afara de el, noi doi si inca o familie, toate vagoanele erau goale. Goneam cu un tren gol catre o destinatie necunoscuta. Bun, cand s-a oprit trenul (nu stiu unde) am coborat pe peron si am gasit conductorul acolo. Am incercat sa ii explicam dar a spus sa urcam inapoi (in rama cealalta) pentru ca trebuie sa dea plecarea, vorbim inauntru. Eram deja rusinati ca am mers mai mult decat permitea biletul nostru dar ne-am urcat. Inauntru i-am explicat situatia si a spus ca am trecut demult de destinatia noastra, ca trenul asta oricum nu oprea acolo si va trebui sa coboram la statia A la ora X, luam alt tren care pleaca la ora Y catre statia B unde coboram la ora Z si de acolo inca un tren catre Amsterdam care opreste si in Zaanse Schans. Cand s-a apucat sa turuie toate astea Cristina a scos o hartie si un pix cu intentia de a nota cate ceva. I le-a cerut si ne-a scris el toate detaliile rutei. Am intrebat daca trebuie sa cumparam alt bilet - nu vroiam sa calatorim fara bilet valabil - si ne-a spus ca intrucat nu e vina noastra putem calatori fara sa cumparam alt bilet, doar ca trebuie sa explicam situatia fiecarui conductor inainte de a urca in tren sau imediat dupa aceea. Imi pare rau ca nu am hartia si nu imi mai amintesc ruta pe care ne-a indicat-o.
Am coborat la prima statie "A" si ne-am dus din nou la informatii sa ne asiguram ca e in regula cu biletul, am povestit din nou tarasenia si am primit un raspuns amuzat: "se intampla destul de des, nu va faceti griji. E decizia conductorului daca sa va lase sa urcati in tren cu biletul original dar daca ii spuneti de la inceput nu va fi nici o problema". Intr-adevar, cateva ore mai tarziu am ajuns (in sfarsit!) in Zaanse Schans fara alte probleme. In ciuda erorii initiale de la Informatii am ajuns sa avem o aventura interesanta (chiar daca putin ingrijoratoare) multumita amabilitatii celor de la NS.

---- English version ----

Our previous visit was in 2012. We went by plane to Frankfurt and onto the ICE to Amsterdam where we stayed for a week, then returned on the same route (ICE to Frankfurt and plane to Bucuresti).

During our week in Amsterdam, one day we spent visiting Zaanse Schans (story below), on another day we travelled to Den Haag, after that we went to Utrecht and on the fourth we visited Gouda. Some of our destinations were chosen in order to meet some former co-workers (and friends) of my girlfriend Cristina (she worked for a Dutch company in Romania).

For our visit to Zaanse Schans we bought the ticket from the machine and instead of checking the boards we went for the information office. The lady there told us what train to take: it was an InterCity train. We boarded that train but it did not stop in Zaanse Schans. In fact we didn't even see the station, after about half an hour we thought that we missed it. So we went in search of the conductor. The train was two coupled VIRMs, and there was no conductor to be found in our deserted trainset. We asked a passenger (good thing all Dutch people speak English!) and he said that he thought that our train didn't stop at that station, but he's not sure. Besides him, the two of us and one other family, that trainset was completely empty. We were rushing about, in a deserted train to an unknown destination. Well, when the train stopped (I don't know where) we alighted on the platform and found the conductor there. We tried to explain but he said climb up because he has to start the train and we'll talk inside. We were already quite embarrassed because knew that we went further than our ticket would allow, but climbed back. Once inside, we explained the situation and he said that we are way past our destination, that this train wasn't stopping there anyway and we will have to get down at station A at time X, take another train that would depart at time Y to station B where we will arrive at time Z, and from there yet another train towards Amsterdam that would also stop in Zaanse Schans. When he started explaining all this (quite fast), Cristina took out a pen and paper intending to write down the details. He asked for them and wrote everything down for us. We then asked if we were to purchase another ticket - we wouldn't want to travel without a valid one - and he told us that since it's not our fault we woulnd't need one, just make sure to explain the situation to each conductor before boarding the train or immediately afterwards. I'm sorry I don't have the paper and I don't know our route.
Well, we got off at first station "A" and went for the information office (just to be sure about the ticket), told our story again and received an amused answer: "this happens quite often, no problem. It is the conductor's decision to let you board the train on account of your original ticket but if you make it known beforehand there would be no problem". And indeed, some hours later we (finally!) arrived in Zaanse Schans without any other problems. Despite the early error from the Information office, we ended up with an interesting (if a little worrisome) adventure, thanks to the helpful and friendly attitude of NS personnel.

Cateva imagini (mai mult sau mai putin feroviare):


Zaanse Schans - morile de vant


Zaanse Schans - vedere de pe peron


Zaanse Schans - IC VIRM trece fara oprire / IC VIRM passing thru





Madurodam in Haga


Clasa NS 1200 - o locomotiva mai putin obisnuita. Are un aer american vechi, solid si pare reconditionata recent (sau cel putin vopsita). A fost folosita (aparent) ca locomotiva de manevra, a adus trenul Amsterdam - Moscova la peron dar apoi trenul a plecat tras de o frantuzoaica Clasa 1700.

NS 1200 - a less ordinary locomotive. It has an old american look, very sturdy and seems recently refurbished (or at least painted ) It seemed to be used as a shunting locomotive, it brought the Amsterdam - Moscow train in the station but then the train departed with a French Class 1700 (Wolvega, as Wikipedia notes)


Bogiu 1200 / Class 1200 bogie


Amsterdam - Moskva (also Minsk, St. Petersburg)


NS 1700


1200 plecand izolata - 1200 leaving as a light engine

Nice story! The station Zaanse Schans doesn´t exist, it´s name is Koog Zaandijk. It happens quite often that tourists are ending up in wrong trains here. Two Americans were travelling with a GVB-daypass yesterday (GVB is the transport outhority of Amsterdam, like RATB in Bucuresti). When the conductor asked them where they wanted to go, they told him a street in Amsterdam as their destination. Instead of boarding Tramline 4 they boarded the train on Platform 4 in Amsterdam...
I was wondering; is the railway system/information in Netherlands difficult to understand for tourists?
Especially on Schiphol Airport, lots of tourists are thinking that every train there is running to Amsterdam Central station,
But you can reach half of the country without changing a train from there.

Based on your story, you ended up in Alkmaar. The city where I was grown up.
Alkmaar is also a nice place to visit:


I travelled some times a year to my grandmother in the very south of Netherlands by train when I was a young kid.
Those trains were pulled by the 1200 series loc's from your picture with 10 coaches. Then they had other colors; yellow and black.
That was when I became in love with trains  Despite their solid and powerful looks, they don't have power and max speed is 125 kilometers per hour. The CityNightLine is now pulled by a MRCE Dispolok 189 or a Traxx. The 1700 loc from your picture isn't able to come to Germany anymore on that section, the power has changed from 1500V to 25kV last year there...

Tip for anyone who might come to The Netherlands:


There are affordable daypasses at this moment; 14,95€ for unlimited travels within the Netherlands on the whole trainnetwork in one day. There is only one exception; you may not use it between 6.30h and 9.00h in the morning on workingdays. For tourists; this is an ideal option to discover The Netherlands.

There is only one ''problem'' these tickets are not sold in the stations, but at Blokker shops. NS sells this kind of tickets in cooperation with some large shopping brands in the country, they hope to attract new costumers (car drivers) at this way.

When this action is over; you can find other actions in other shops. Even our largerst supermarket-chain (Albert Heijn)
Sells some weeks a year cheep 24hour cards for unlimited travels in cooperation with NS.

http://www.n-tv.de/panorama/Polizei-ueberwaeltigt-Mann-in-Thalys-article15959171.html

Probably a young man without a trainticket. It happens a lot that they go inside the toilets for the whole journey and they come out it at the station where they have to be.
Untill some years before, nobody cares... but with all the mass-hystery about terrorism in the world, you get situations like this. I found a lost suitcase at the platform in Amsterdam some weeks ago. Instead of noticing NS staff about it, I leave it on the platform because I don't want all those problems. (and in the end the possibilty that the police will evacuate the whole platform, with a delay for my train).

Rotterdam Centraal is one of the largest stations in our country, and it's complety renovated some years ago;
It's very nice if you like modern architecture:

http://teamv.nl/portfolio/rotterdam-centraal-station/

dan tm a scris:

http://www.n-tv.de/panorama/Polizei-ueberwaeltigt-Mann-in-Thalys-article15959171.html

It´s confirmed; It's an person from Northern Africa without a passport and without a home; who travels around Europe without buying traintickets. He (and his lawyer) says he is 16 (youth cant send back to Africa) but the police says he must be 18+, because he has been kept by the police for an other case two years ago, and then he claimed also to be 16.
It happens quite often that so called refugees or other illegal migrants are travelling without a ticket. Sometimes I see 10 or something in a single train.

In prima parte a lui 2016 urmeaza sa fie lansat serviciul Eurostar pe ruta Londra-Amsterdam. In prezent o calatorie de la Londra la Amsterdam se poate realiza cu schimbare in Belgia, prin calatoria cu Eurostar-ul de la Londra la Bruxelles si de la Bruxelles pana la Amsterdam cu Thalys-ul.

Trenul urmeaza sa opreasca in statii precum Antwerp, Rotterdam si aeroportul Schiphol.

http://www.citymetric.com/transport/eurostar-expanding-marseille-and-amsterdam-why-has-it-taken-20-years-943
http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/50801/eurostar-unveils-amsterdam-details-as-sales-rise

Rural olandez, o trecere pentru bicicliști și pietoni:




Viteza linie de aice este 100 km/h.


Dreapta: turnul de apă de Hoogkarspel.

The first new NS Stadler FLIRT for regional trains:
NS FLIRT

Hello Caspar. I need some informations and help about NS.
In April I will be in Netherlands and I will use the public transport (and trains too).

Is it still available that card that you presented here on the forum. How is more convenient to but tickets: online with some days before the joruney or right before the journey. I want to tell you that probably I will need to use IC trains.

My journey will be like this: Eindhoven - Den Haag - Amsterdam - Eindhoven (with a couple rides beetween Den Haag - Rotterdam).

Also do you have some information about transportation in Rotterdam, Den Haag and Amsterdam (any websites or mobile apps usefull for this).

Thank you.

Hello,
The ticket I've posted is no longer available, but there are always other special tickets. Are you travalling everyting whitin one day, or shorter distances in several days? And how early in the morning starts your journey?

When you buy a standard ticket, there is no difference in price when you buy it at the station or online in advance.

This website is most common in The Netherlands for planning your journey from door to door, including train, tram, bus, ferry, metro and so on...
http://9292.nl/#
It's also available in English.

In Netherlands every journey in the public transport is with an ov-chipcard. U can use the same card for all meanings of transport, an NS card is also for the bus etc. But for tourists it's unfriendly, because there must be 20€ at least on it, before you can use it in the trains. (by busses and metros there is no minimum level)

You can also buy single fare tickets in Den Haag, Rotterdam and Amsterdam but they are more expensive then the KM-price with a chipcard. A single fare in Amsterdam is €2,50 or something.

There are some daypasses, 1 day in Rotterdam (and places nearby) 7,50€
Amsterdam: 7,50€, 24 hours valid after your first ride.
Den Haag 6,50€

A little indication what a tram/metro/bus ride cost with an OV-chip; I live exact 2 kilometers from the nearest station, opposite a bus stop. When I make that ride from home to station, that's €1,22.

Are you travelling alone?

Ps... In Eindhoven is nothing to see of any interest for foreign tourists.

Thank you for your quick reply.

I will travel with another person.

So I will stay for 6 days so I will travel these shorter distances in several days. Because I will be in holiday without any travel agency I have the flexibility to plan my journeys so I don't think I will travel in the morning (maybe just between Den Haag and Rotterdam)

I use Eindhoven just because there my plane will land. The only thing I will do there is to go from airport to the train station