Rail transport 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 (one in each direction) on major routes. Three-quarters of the lines have been electrified.
| Rail transport in the Netherlands | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operation | |||||
| National railway | Nederlandse Spoorwegen | ||||
| Infrastructure company | Railinfratrust | ||||
| Major operators | NS International Arriva Connexxion (Transdev) Keolis Nederland | ||||
| Statistics | |||||
| Ridership | 438 million per year | ||||
| Passenger km | 17.1 billion per year | ||||
| Freight | 36.5 million tonnes (35,900,000 long tons; 40,200,000 short tons) per year | ||||
| System length | |||||
| Total | 3,223 km (2,003 mi) | ||||
| Double track | 1,982 km (1,232 mi) | ||||
| Electrified | 2,321 km (1,442 mi) | ||||
| Freight only | 158.5 km (98.5 mi) | ||||
| High-speed | 125 km (78 mi) | ||||
| Track gauge | |||||
| Main | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||
| High-speed | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||||
| Electrification | |||||
| 1.5 kV DC | Main network | ||||
| 25 kV AC | HSL-Zuid, Betuweroute | ||||
| Features | |||||
| No. tunnels | 13 | ||||
| Longest tunnel | Groeneharttunnel, 7,160 m (4.45 mi) | ||||
| No. bridges | 4,500 (76 movable) | ||||
| No. stations | 397 | ||||
| |||||
The Dutch rail network primarily supports passenger transport. Rail travel comprises the majority of the distance travelled on Dutch public transport. The national rail infrastructure is managed and maintained by the government agency ProRail, and a number of operators have concessions to operate their trains. The entire network is standard gauge. The Netherlands is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC), and its country code is 84.
Most Dutch trains are equipped with Wi-Fi. They offer no onboard catering, except for a limited service on some international trains, due to the short distances involved.