The Netherlands is both a very densely populated and a highly developed country in which transport is a key factor of the economy. Correspondingly it has a very dense and modern infrastructure, facilitating transport with road, rail, air and water networks. In its Global Competitiveness Report for 2014-2015, the World Economic Forum ranked the Dutch transport infrastructure fourth in the world.
Nederlandse Spoorwegen 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.
Keolis Nederland is a public transport company operating bus and passenger train services in the Netherlands. Originally created as Syntus and owned by Connexxion, Keolis and Nederlandse Spoorwegen, since 2012 Keolis Nederland has been a 100% subsidiary of Keolis. Syntus is an acronym for Synergy between Train and Bus.
There are currently 401 railway stations in the Netherlands including four which are used only during special events and one which serves the National Railway Museum only. NS Stations is the body which manages and owns all railway stations in the Netherlands.
Rail transport in the Netherlands uses a dense railway network which connects nearly all major towns and cities. There are as many train stations as there are municipalities in the Netherlands. The network totals 3,223 route km (2,003 mi) on 6,830 kilometres (4,240 mi) of track; a line may run both ways, or two lines may run on major routes. Three-quarters of the lines have been electrified.
Leiden Centraal is the main railway station in Leiden, a university city in the Netherlands. In 2019, it was the nation's sixth-most important station in terms of travel numbers, with 82.689 daily passengers. The station is an important transit hub for the c. 35,000 non-resident higher education students studying in the city, as well as for Leiden's surrounding area, including the seaside town of Katwijk.
The OV-chipkaart is a contactless smart card and integrated ticketing system used for all public transport in the Netherlands. First introduced in the Rotterdam Metro in April 2005, it has subsequently been rolled out to other areas and travel modes. It fully replaced the national strippenkaart system for buses, trams, and metro trains in 2011, and the paper ticket system for rail travel in July 2014.
Amsterdam Amstel is a railway station in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The station opened in 1939. It is located to the southeast of Amsterdam Centraal in the borough of Amsterdam-Oost, near the Amstel river. Amsterdam Amstel is used daily by 50,000 train and metro passengers. Rail services at the station are provided by NS, the principal railway operator in the Netherlands. Metro, tram and city bus services are provided by municipal operator GVB. Regional buses are operated by Transdev and Keolis.
Deinum is a railway station located in Deinum, Netherlands. The station was opened on 27 October 1863 and is located on the Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway between Harlingen and Leeuwarden. Train services are operated by Arriva.
Nijmegen railway station is the main railway station of Nijmegen in Gelderland, Netherlands. It was opened on 9 August 1865 and is located on the Tilburg–Nijmegen railway, Nijmegen–Venlo railway and the Arnhem–Nijmegen railway. It was extensively rebuilt after the war since the original station was severely damaged by a US bombing raid in February 1944 and during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. Until 1991 there was a line into Germany from here to Kleve.
Integrated ticketing enables a journey involving transfers within or between different modes of transportation using a single ticket that is valid for the entire journey. These modes include buses, trains, subways, and ferries, among others. The purpose of integrated ticketing is to promote public transport use by simplifying transitions between different modes and improving service efficiency.
Winterswijk is a railway station in Winterswijk, Netherlands. The station opened on 24 June 1878 and is located on the Zutphen–Winterswijk railway and the Winterswijk–Zevenaar railway. The train services are operated by Arriva.
Qbuzz is a public transport company in the Netherlands that operates services in South Holland, Utrecht, Drenthe and Groningen. Founded in 2008, it was a subsidiary of Nederlandse Spoorwegen from 2013 until 2017. It is currently owned by Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.
The Amsterdam–Arnhem railway, also referred to as the Amsterdam–Elten railway or Rhijnspoorweg in Dutch, is an important railway that connects Amsterdam in the Netherlands with Utrecht and Arnhem, and continues into Germany.
The main public transport in the Netherlands for longer distances is by train. Long-distance buses are limited to a few missing railway connections. Regional and local public transport is by bus and in some cities by metro and tram. There are also ferries.
Leeuwarden Achter de Hoven was a railway station serving eastern Leeuwarden, Netherlands. The station was first opened on 5 July 1915 but was closed between 19 May 1940 and 3 October 1954. It is located on the Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway between Leeuwarden and Groningen. Train services were operated by Arriva. As of 2015, most trains between Groningen and Leeuwarden do not stop at the station, and it is not shown on the standard NS map. There was one departure per day in the direction of Leeuwarden and two departures per day in the direction of Groningen.
Rijksstraatweg or simply Straatweg was the term for paved roads of interregional significance in the Netherlands in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These roads were built by the national government, and formed the country's first centrally planned highway network. They received route numbers, eventually resulting in a nationwide network of 82 highways. It formed the basis for today's system of nationally controlled roads, the Netherlands' main highway grid.
The Netherlands has a single nationwide bike sharing program, called OV-fiets, which means 'public transport bike'. The system has 20,500 bikes in 300 locations, mainly train stations, all over the country. Membership is required and can be combined with an OV-chipkaart. The program, which started on a small scale in 2003, has enjoyed a steadily increasing popularity with over 4 million rides registered in 2018. The nature of the Dutch bike sharing program differs from that of programs in other countries partly because the already high bike ownership of the population. Its interconnection with the public transport network allows it to fill the need of people who also want to continue traveling by bike from the station of their destination.
