Transport in the Netherlands

Railroad

The Dutch rail network includes/understands 2809 km of lines, including 931 km with single track, for an overall length of ways equal to 6505 km.

All the ways are with normal spacing (1,435 m); but of 1839 until about 1850, the network was with 1,945 m broad way, spacing which was abandoned because the adjoining countries, Germany and Belgium had chosen the normal spacing.

Electrification: 2061 km of lines are electrified in D.C. current 1,5 Kv.

Crossings level: 3004, from which 2144 are protected.

New lines: two new lines are in the course of contruction:

the line at high speed HSL: it is about a section of line at high speed between the airport of Schipol and the Belgian border;
the Line of Betuwe, line freight connecting Rotterdam to the German border .

The Hanzelijn project envisages to build a line Lelystad - Dronten - Kampen and to modernize the section Kampen- Zwolle.

A line of Train to magnetic lift is projected on the course Amsterdam - Almere - Lelystad - Emmeloord - Heerenveen - Drachten - Groningue, and could be built at the horizon 2010.

The management of the rail network is ensured by ProRail. This public agency has the role of managing, of maintaining and of developing the principal network, and ensures the exploitation (safety of circulation) and the attribution of the rights of traffic.

Several railway companies is authorized to exploit services:

Travellers: the principal owner are the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS); other owners: NoordNed, Syntus (joint venture NS-SNCF), Connexxion and dB Regionalbahn Westfalen (group Deutsche Bahn); all are placed in a common tariffing system;
Freight: Railion (group Deutsche Bahn), ERS, ACTS, Shortlines.
also Let us quote Herik Rail, which has seven cars, being able to be rented to organize special ciculations (congress, meetings…). On the other hand, NESM Nostalgie Expresse does not exploit operational services.

There exist two crossings, uneven, of railway lines on which are established Gare S served by the trains of the one and the other line:

Amsterdam Sloterdijk (ass)
Duivendrecht (dvd).

A third uneven crossing is in construction in the east of Zoetermeer, but no stop is envisaged, one of the lines is the line at high speed HSL.

International trains

Amsterdam Centraal - Airport Schiphol - $the Hague Holland Spoor - Rotterdam Centraal - Dordrecht - Roosendaal - Antwerp Berchem - Malignant - Northern Brussels - Brussels C - Brussels Midday).

This train is tractor drawn by an engine bicourant (1,5 V continuous and 3 Kv continuous).

Thalys : Amsterdam Centraal - Airport of Schiphol - $the Hague Holland Spoor - Rotterdam Centraal - Antwerp Berchem - Brussels Midday - Northern Paris; also twice per week towards Marne-The-Valley-Chessy (Disneyland Brings out Paris)

the oars are tricourant (1,5 V continuous, 3 Kv continuous and 25 Kv 50 alternative Hz).
Line at high speed between Brussels and Paris.

Amsterdam Centraal - Berlin Ostbahnhof, Germany, serve in the Netherlands: Amsterdam Centraal, Amersfoort, Deventer, Hengelo
Amsterdam Centraal - Cologne Hbf, Germany and prolongation towards Munich, Germany and Basle CF, Swiss and Vienna Westbf, Austria, partly by ICE; serves in the Netherlands: Amsterdam Centraal, Duivendrecht, Utrecht Centraal, Arnhem

Service of night

There exists a service of night , called Nachtnet (network of night, although it is not acted in fact that of only one line out of U) at rate per hour connecting Rotterdam Central, Delft, $the Hague Central, Leyde Central, Aéroport of Schiphol, Amsterdam Central and Utrecht Central. Because of the layout out of U, the time of way from the four first stations to Utrecht is much longer than the day.

Public transport

All services of subway, tram, and buses (except certain particular services) are subjected to the same national tariffing system (National Strippen Kaart). Subways and trams do not ensure of night service. There exist buses of night in many cities, generally Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, sometimes only during the first part of the night.

A chart valid pass key one year in the trains (2nd class), the buses, the subways and the trams costs 3099,50 euros (2004). It is also valid on the ferries Flessingue - Breskens, Amsterdam IJmuiden and Rotterdam Dordrecht. It is not valid on the majority of the other ferries, nor on the trains Thalys. The services of night per train are included, but not those of the buses.

Cities equipped with a network of Subway

(all to normal spacing, 1,435 m)

Amsterdam, Diemen, Ouder-Amstel, exploited by Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf (GVB) (official site,

current of traction: 750 V continuous.

Rotterdam, Schiedam, Spijkenisse, Albrandswaard, Capelle aan den IJssel, exploited by Rotterdamse Electrische Tramweg Maatschappij (RET) (official site,

current of traction: 750 V continuous.
the part Is network has some level crossings (with priority), and could thus be described as light subway, however the integration of the network is total; in these zones, the power supply is done by overhead line instead of the conductor rail.

Cities equipped with a network of Tram or assimilated

(all to normal spacing, 1,435 m)

Amsterdam, Diemen, Amstelveen, exploited by GVB

current of traction: 600 V continuous.

Rotterdam, Schiedam, exploited by RET
$the Hague, Rijswijk, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Delft, Nootdorp, exploited by Haagsche Tramweg Maatschappij (htm)

current of traction: 600 V continuous.

Utrecht, Nieuwegein, IJsselstein, exploited by Connexxion (light train or tram-train, intermediate form between tram and heavy train, having of dedicated ways, and priority to the crossings).
Houten, exploited by the NS (line of light train, which could be described as subway, except that it is not underground, for its dedicated ways, without level crossings).

continuous current of traction in 1,5 Kv (the trams were adapted to allow the use of this higher tension), overhead lines.

Line of Randstad Rail and other projects of light trains

“Randstad Rail” is a project, by 2006, for:

to connect the line “Érasme” of the subway of Rotterdam to the existing railway line “Hofplein Line” which could be reconverted with the light train, to allow the oars of the subway of Rotterdam to join the central station of $the Hague; the northern terminus of the line of Hofplein, a new connection to the central station of $the Hague could make it possible to separate flows from heavy trains and light trains;
to connect tram lines 3 and 6 of $the Hague to the existing railway line of Zoetermeer which could also be converted with the light train and would be lengthened by a new line of Oosterheem, which would be integrated in line 6; the existing tramcar lanes would be adapted to receive longer and broader vehicles.

There exists a construction project of a line of light train between Maastricht and Kerkrade.

Bus

A special line of bus, the Zuidtangent , circulates primarily on dedicated way, with priority with the crossroads.

Route: Haarlem - Hoofddorp - Airport of Schiphol - Amstelveen - Amsterdam South-eastern.

The town of Arnhem is equipped with an electric network of Trolleybus.

Principal companies of bus: Arrived, Connex (group Veolia Transport), Connexxion, Hermes, NoordNed, Syntus.

Hermes exploits services in the South-east of the Netherlands Hermes, official site.

Other transport

Road S

total: 125.575 km
covered: 113.018 km (including 2235 km of Highway S)
not covered: 12.557 km (1998)

Principal highways (incomplete list):

A1 Amsterdam - Oldenzaal (Of Fight) - Germany (A30)
A2/E35/E25 Amsterdam - Maastricht - Liege (Belgium)
A4/E19 Amsterdam - $the Hague/Markiezaat Intersection - Belgian Border (Antwerp)
A6 Muiderberg (A1) - Joure (A7)
A7 Zaandam - Afsluitdijk - Groningue - Nieuweschans - Germany (A280)
A8 Coentunnel - Assendelft
A9 Alkmaar - Diemen (A1)
Peripheral A10 of Amsterdam
A12/E30/E25/E35 Scheveningen - Bergh (German Border A3)
A13/E19 Den Haag (A4) - Rotterdam (A20)
A16/E19 Rotterdam - Dordrecht - Breda - Belgium
A20/E25 Maasdijk - Rotterdam - Gouda

See also: List of the highways Dutchwomen

Inland waterways

5046 km, from which 47% are accessible to the ships from 1000 tons or more port into heavy.

The Netherlands are the country of the channels par excellence. They are with the outlet of two large Fleuve S navigable, the the Rhine and the Meuse.

Control S

Pipelines: gross 418 km; refined products 965 km; gas pipelines (methane) 10.230 km

Ports

Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Den Helder, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningue, Haarlem, IJmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Flessingue).

Rotterdam, which extends on the estuary from the the Rhine until its Europoort outer harbor and the the North Sea on 40 km length, is the 1st port of Europe.

Merchant navy
total: 563 Ship S (of 1000 barrels or more Gross tonnage) adding up 4.035.899 barrels (4 576.841 tons of Port into heavy).
Ships by categories: Bulk carrier S 3, cargo liners 343, Chimiquier S 41, Ore tanker S 2, Container ships 56, liquid gases 20, transport of cattle 1, general-purpose cargo liners 8, momentary 8, Oil S 25, cooled 32, ships carrier S 16, momentary cargo liners at short distance 3, Citernier S specialized 5 (1999)
note: Many Dutch ships are also registered under the house the Dutch West Indies.

Airport S

28 (1999 are.)

Airports - with tracks into hard:

total: 19

of more than 3000 m: 2

from 2500 to 3000 m: 7

of 1500 to 2500 m: 6

of 1000 to 1500 m: 3

of less than 1000 m: 1

The largest airport is, by far, that of Schiphol close to Amsterdam, one of largest of Europe. The secondary airports having regular lines, are those of Zestienhoven close to Rotterdam, Eelde close to Groningue, Twenthe close to Enschede, Eindhoven and the airport of Maastricht - Aachen.

Airports - with grass tracks:

total: 9

of 1000 to 1500 m: 3

of less than 1000 m: 6

Heliports: 1 (1999).

See too

Netherlands | Transport by country | Transport in Europe | rail-bound Transport in the Netherlands

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