https://nltimes.nl/2022/09/05/regional-ns-train-strikes-announced-starting-friday-northwest-west
The first strike will take place on Friday in the northwest and west of the Netherlands. Then, on 13 September, strikes will shut down the national railway in the north, south, and east. A strike on 15 September will affect the central region. “If there is still no collective labor agreement after this second strike wave, nationwide strikes will follow,” FNV said, repeating its earlier intent.
Thanks for sharing this. The proposed strike dates are both days I'm scheduled to be on NS International services, which look like they might be ok, but I'm not comfortable with that level of vagueness. (Especially as one of those journeys is just after my transatlantic arrival.)
I've gone ahead and booked tickets in the parallel Thalys services. First-class tickets there can be fully refunded up to an hour after departure time. At nearly 200 euro it's not cheap, but if I need it it'll be money well spent. And being in First will be a little reward for having put in a contingency plan.
That's a good idea for peace of mind, Scudder.
Can someone translate what "NS" means in relation to a train I have currently scheduled to take from Amsterdam to Leiden on a "IC" train, which I think means Inter - City. I also see options on the "RE" trains, which I think mean Regional. I am not aware of what NS means or if NS includes IC and RE? Just trying to figure out if I am safe or in jeopardy. Thanks!!
Charles- NS is the Dutch national rail company. It offers a variety of service types.
@Charles; Were do you see the term RE being used? Given the fact that you don’t know that NS is the name of the Dutch national railway company, I’m afraid you’re getting your train info from 3rd party websites and not from NS. I also think this because the term RE is not used in relation to trains in the Netherlands. I have no idea what it means.
With a few exceptions in the north and southeastern part of the country, trains in the Netherlands are operated by the national railway company called NS which stands for Nederlandse Spoorwegen, which literally means Dutch Railways.
If you want to train from Amsterdam to Leiden, you buy a ticket from NS. This ticket is valid on all trains from Amsterdam to Leiden on a specific day. To get from Amsterdam to Leiden, you can take 2 types of trains; the Intercity train and the Sprinter train. The Intercity train (IC) makes 3 stops before it reaches Leiden. The Sprinter (SPR) train makes 6 stops. The journey time with the Intercity train is 36 minutes, with the Sprinter train it takes 41 minutes.
The ONLY website to use to look up train schedules and to buy tickets is the website of NS: https://www.ns.nl/en
This website should also be your only source of information regarding the impact of the strikes on train schedules.
@DutchTravelor…I got it from the DB website that RS recommends to reference for schedules. It is also on my RailEurope rail pass app that I have. I will take your advice and double check the NS website too.
I guess what you are saying is that if there is a rail strike in effect when I am there next weekend (Sept 16-17) then there is a good chance my train will not be running? Or are there a limited number of trains that continue to run during a strike similar to what happens in other countries?
Charles, these are currently the dates and regions projected to be affected.
9 September northwest and west regions (includes Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam).
13 September east, south and north regions.
15 September central region
DB stands for Deutsche Bahn which means German Railways. As the name suggests, DB operates the trains in Germany. They have nothing to do with running the trains in the Netherlands, different countries, different train companies.
The website of the Deutsche Bahn does indeed show the planned train schedules of trains in the Netherlands, but it’s completely useless when it comes to live real-time train schedules. And live real-time train schedules is what you want and need as a passenger. Live train schedules show delays, inform you about platform changes etc etc. Another advantage of using the website of the company that’s actually running the trains, is that they use the correct terms. RE may be used to indicate regional or local trains in Germany, that term is not used in the Netherlands.
So please, follow the advice of a Dutch national who uses the trains run by NS almost on a daily bases, and use the website of NS to plan your train journeys in the Netherlands.
Another reason why one should only rely on information provided by the company operating the trains; NS has just announced that this Friday September 9 there will be no trains at all. Even a regional strike will have an impact on trains outside that region. That’s why NS is choosing to cancel all their trains that day.
See the NS website for more information https://www.ns.nl/en
Thanks for the update, Dutch_traveler.
Dutch_Traveler- I was just reading the same. Might you have any insight for getting from AMS to Brussels?
NS has a specific website dedicated to international train travel. There they provide an update about the impact of the strike on international trains. It’s not good news I’m afraid..,
https://www.nsinternational.com/en/overview-service#Strike_on_Friday_9_September
I’ve ended up booked onto a bus. An hour longer than the train and drops me at the wrong station in Brussels, but I was glad to get an option locked in for just 10€.
Thanks to roubrat and Dutch_traveler for saving be from a big surprise upon landing Friday!
@Scudder and/or DutchTravelor….what is the recommended website or app to use for bus travel
In the Netherlands?
In the Netherlands busses run by public transport companies are complementary to trains. Trains serve large and medium sized cities with a train station. Busses are used for public transport within cities or to get from a town with a train station to a smaller town without a train station.
You can plan all your public transport journeys on Google Maps or https://9292.nl/en . The planner will tell you if you need to take the bus, tram, train, ferry etc etc.
In addition to public transport companies, there are several commercial companies that offer long distance bus rides throughout Europe. I’m guessing that Scudder is using Flixbus to get from Amsterdam to Brussels. These companies offer some local routes, but their main business is long distance bus rides throughout Europe. From Amsterdam to Paris, Milan or Berlin for instance.
During a strike these busses can be a substitution for international trains, but not for local trains.
I am in Netherlands this week, heading home on Saturday. It appears I got lucky. Every rail station I have been through the last 2 days has announced this via the PA. I recommend you download the NS app to your smartphone. It is another way to grab the information Dutch Traveler has noted. It also provides some bus alternatives for a couple “practice” routes I tried.
I am due to arrive in Amsterdam on Friday. Looks like the strikes ended just in time.
https://nltimes.nl/2022/09/11/train-strikes-called-ns-reaches-tentative-agreement-unions
Oh, Charles - thanks SO much for posting that news. I was googling and getting nowhere. So pleased to learn that my trip to Hannover on Thursday is on.
Phew! Looks like I’ll be able to cancel my 2 contingency plans!
Dutch_traveler, Rick Steves recommends that travelers first look at the Deutsche Bahn site for schedules, since it has full schedules for the rest of Europe. His exact language says:
No matter where you're traveling in Europe, Germany's Deutsche Bahn website should be your first stop for timetable information. (While each country's national rail company has its own website with schedules, the German site has schedules for virtually all of Europe.) I use this site, along with their DB Navigator app, to plan my connections for almost every trip in Europe. https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/online-schedules
I don't agree or disagree with this, but just wanted to point out that this is why posters here sometimes use DB for other country's train schedules.
Yes, I know that RS recommends to use the Deutsche Bahn website, but this post is a very good example of why that isn’t always the best of ideas. The DB website doesn’t provide up to date information about strikes, delays, track changes etc. It uses terminology that applies to trains in Germany, but not necessarily to trains in other countries (the term RE trains for example). But most importantly, it causes confusion up to a point that people don’t seem to understand who is actually running the trains, as is evident from this thread.
I believe travelers should familiarize themselves with the websites and apps of the companies that actually run the trains as early on in the trip planning phase as possible. That way they know how to navigate these websites/apps and are confident to use them when they’re actually here and need to check them in case of delays, change of plans etc.
