Dutch Trains Will Get Line Numbers in 2027, with NS Opening a Public Contest for the Map
All NS lines will be given a fixed number like buses, trams and metros. Submissions are open until 14 August for the new line map that will hang at stations across the country.
Dutch national rail operator NS will give every one of its train lines a fixed line number from the 2027 timetable, in a move designed to make planning, travelling and changing trains simpler. Alongside the change, NS is inviting members of the public to design the new line map that will hang on information boards at stations across the country.
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How it will work
From the start of the 2027 timetable, passengers will be able to recognise their train not just by destination and departure and arrival times, but also by a fixed line number, much like the regional buses, trams and metros they may already use. Intercity trains will get an “IC” prefix, Sprinters an “S” prefix. The line between Leeuwarden and The Hague, for example, becomes IC6, while the Sprinter between Rotterdam and Uitgeest becomes S75.
The system already exists in much of the rest of Europe, where international travellers will be familiar with codes such as ICE, TGV, IC, RE or S-Bahn lines numbered to make navigation easier.
Why now
According to NS, the main benefit lies in clearer communication, especially when things go wrong. “Especially during unexpected disruptions and engineering works, line numbers can be a big improvement in communication to passengers, because you mention not only destinations but also the line number that belongs to them,” said Dieuwertje van Egmond, NS’s head of travel information. “That makes your train easier to recognise. Naturally, we want to make sure it remains clear and easy to understand for everyone.”
To check that, NS will run a practical test at Amersfoort Centraal station next week, where travellers will be asked how they experience the line numbers on station signs and in the NS app. The results will feed into how the numbers eventually appear in travel information.
Passenger organisation Rover supports the move. “Line numbers can greatly improve travel information, especially during works and disruptions,” Rover’s Frank Visser said. “We are pleased this is now being introduced at NS, and we expect passengers will benefit greatly.”
An idea 20 years in the making
The idea of line numbers for Dutch trains has been around for at least two decades. One of its earliest advocates was Onno Pruis of Movin Vervoeradvies, who developed the line map that NS itself eventually took over. He came up with both the idea of a clearer rail map and the wish for line numbers after, on one occasion, accidentally stepping into the wrong Sprinter.
Design a map, see it at every station
To make the new system visually clear, NS wants a new line map on the travel-information boards at stations across the country. Rather than commission a designer, the operator is opening a public design contest. “It’s a unique chance to shine on stations in the Netherlands,” NS says.
Submissions can be sent to lijnnummers@ns.nl until 14 August. A jury will judge the entries in September, and the winner will see their work displayed on information boards at NS stations nationwide. The jury includes Eelco van Asch of the NS Board, Dieuwertje van Egmond, project lead Lucie Cotte, the new director of Rover and Mirjam Hooghuis from NS Accessibility.
For travellers in the Netherlands, in particular for those used to “S-Bahn”-style systems in other European countries, the change should be a welcome simplification, especially on a network that, after years of expansion, has become harder to read on a paper map.