Dutch Railways (NS) is implementing the biggest change to its train timetable in years this Sunday, December 15, adding 1,600 extra trains per week and improving connections across the country during rush hours, evenings, and weekends. The overhaul represents the first step in NS's two-stage program to modernise Dutch rail services under its new Main Line Network concession.
More Trains Throughout the Day
The expanded timetable brings back many services that were reduced during and after the coronavirus pandemic. Quarter-hourly services return on multiple routes including Amsterdam Centraal-Weesp-Almere, Alkmaar-Amsterdam Centraal, and Utrecht-Woerden. Between Utrecht Centraal and Leiden Centraal, more trains will run during rush hours.
Early birds and night owls will notice significant improvements. The first train from Groningen to the Randstad now departs at 5:19 a.m., while travelers can catch an early train from Arnhem to Amsterdam starting at 5:31 a.m. Late-night services are also expanded, with the last Intercity from Enschede to Amersfoort leaving at 11:16 p.m., from The Hague to Eindhoven at 11:49 p.m., and from Almere to Utrecht at 12:51 a.m.
On Friday and Saturday evenings, an Intercity will run every 15 minutes between Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden, and The Hague until 1:00 a.m., making it easier for people enjoying nightlife to get home.
New High-Frequency Services
Two major new services are being introduced to handle growing passenger numbers:
Airport Sprinter: Due to extensive construction work at Amsterdam Centraal that will continue for years, NS is launching the Airport Sprinter running every 7.5 minutes between Hoofddorp, Schiphol, and Amsterdam Centraal. This ultra-high-frequency service ensures travelers can reach the airport quickly despite reduced platform capacity at the main station.
TenMinute Sprinter: This service between The Hague Centraal, Rotterdam Centraal, and Dordrecht will run six trains per hour (every 10 minutes), significantly reducing waiting times on one of the country's busiest corridors. The service previously ran only between Rotterdam and Dordrecht but has been extended to The Hague.
Faster Connections to Brussels
NS and Belgian operator NMBS are doubling the number of trains between the Netherlands and Brussels from 16 to 32 per day. A new Eurocity Direct service cuts travel time by approximately 45 minutes by skipping Breda, reducing the Amsterdam-Brussels journey to just over two hours.
The new ICNG trains, designed to operate in both the Netherlands and Belgium, will primarily serve this route, though older rolling stock may still appear during the transition period. A separate Eurocity service operated by NMBS will continue serving Breda for passengers needing that stop.
Regional Improvements
Extra services are being added between Zwolle and both Groningen and Leeuwarden. The Sprinter between Utrecht, Hilversum, and Hoofddorp returns on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The quarter-hourly Intercity service between Haarlem and Alkmaar resumes during peak times Monday through Thursday.
Between Utrecht and Woerden, four Sprinters per hour will run during weekdays. On Fridays, the quarter-hourly Intercity services between Utrecht and The Hague, and between Utrecht and Rotterdam, will start from the morning rush hour instead of midday. The same applies to the quarter-hourly service between Alkmaar and Amsterdam Centraal on Fridays.
The quarter-hourly service between Eindhoven and Utrecht will run longer into the evening (until 11:00 p.m. instead of 9:00 p.m.) improving connections for Venlo to the Randstad in the evening hours.
In Noord-Brabant and Zeeland, weekend services improve significantly. Sprinters between Eindhoven and Den Bosch, and between Eindhoven and Tilburg Universiteit, will run twice per hour on Saturdays and Sundays instead of once. The Intercity between Zwolle and Roosendaal (which stops in Tilburg) will also become faster.
Photo Credits: Martijn Stoof/Pexels
Challenges Remain
NS acknowledges the new timetable cannot solve all problems facing Dutch rail. The high-speed line remains vulnerable due to ongoing speed restrictions, and this vulnerability can cause delays in other parts of the network when more trains use the line. NS is running more through-trains on the high-speed line because the alternative would force the company to run fewer trains overall or even reduce services around Amsterdam.
Staff shortages also continue to challenge operations, with NS actively recruiting new employees, particularly mechanics. Extensive construction work planned by ProRail for 2025 will add further complications.
What Travellers Should Know
The new timetable takes effect Sunday, December 15, 2025, and will operate through 2026. Passengers are strongly advised to check the NS journey planner before traveling, as nearly every traveler will experience some change to their regular route or timing.
During the Christmas holidays (December 22 to January 2), NS will adjust the timetable with fewer trains during peak periods on some routes, as fewer people typically travel during this period. The Sunday timetable will operate on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. On New Year's Eve, most trains stop running after 8:00 p.m., except the Schiphol-Amsterdam Centraal route, which runs until 10:00 p.m. A special night train will operate between Rotterdam, Delft, The Hague, Leiden, Schiphol, Amsterdam, and Utrecht starting at 1:00 a.m. on New Year's Day.
Passenger advocacy group Rover welcomes the changes, noting that "many routes that were scaled back in recent years will finally run at full capacity again." However, they also warn that some direct connections will be lost, which they detail on their website.
Union FNV Spoor calls the plans ambitious but emphasises that workload for NS staff must not increase as a result of the expanded service.
