Nederlandse Spoorwegen, Utrecht Reviews

First class pussy company, will never see me again.

E-ticket purchased and downloaded in the ns app. The train conductor's equipment cannot read the ticket in their own app. How convenient is a digital ticket ?! Fortunately I also printed the e-ticket for security, but actually this is crazy for words.

Trains are constantly late and frequently cancelled, usually with no explanation and often without any notification until well after a train is scheduled to depart.

Frequent trackwork with replacement buses that are woefully insufficient for the passenger volume.

Fares are far too expensive compared to other rail systems in Europe, and the OV chipkart system is problematic, often overcharging.

Stations are unmanned, and signage is often unclear or ambiguous.

Avoid trains in the Netherlands if you can!

Very positive about the NS in general! Travel a lot by train and think that I experience relatively few delays and the like. So definitely great! Only point of improvement: now needed customer service a few times. I now hear several times in the voice that the employee I get to talk to is doing its job with great motivation. You will be helped, but you will feel completely misunderstood or taken seriously. At other companies you sometimes receive an assessment form after you have spoken to an employee about how you experienced the conversation. Can the Dutch Railways not introduce this to also improve this small piece of service? If this piece is improved, the Dutch Railways will definitely get 5 stars again !!

I found myself today at the central station of Amsterdam, track 8a, the intercity from 15.39 to Denhelder.
I had to get out in Zaandam the conductor came to the door I got out I thank them for turning on the air conditioning on which he started to laugh I asked there was something to laugh he got out and asked what do you have to do nauseous guy very tough I she you are laughing and I pointed to the door where he gave me a heavy thump against my left arm he got into the fleet and drove away very associally disrespectfully received today reply to my complaint there was sorry said I had sent my train ticket think compensation was standing In the letter the supervisor can enter into a conversation with the conductor I have called the NS.
If I did not agree with this letter I would have to write that is all I asked them especially name that gave I was told I wish you a nice day to associate for words

Tax in Utrecht, excellent connection to get there, you do not get there for fun

Friendly staff.
Good service

Good central location
CS

Taking a bicycle on the train is still worthlessly arranged in the train / the Netherlands, only possible during off-peak hours !!! and sign up first !!! In Germany / DB they REALLY take (touring) cyclists into account!

The border subscription

Because there is no agreement between the two countries for the Antwerp - Breda route, a psychedelic arrangement has been devised so that two subscriptions must be taken out! One in Belgium and one in the Netherlands.

Hazeldonk is located on the border between Belgium and the Netherlands (no train station).

Hazeldonk has been turned into a fictitious station, which means that a subscription is taken out in Belgium for the train from Brecht to the fictional Hazeldonk station and a subscription is taken out in the Netherlands for the train from the fictitious Hazeldonk - Breda station.
Please note: we are talking about a united Europe (more about that later on the situation in the Netherlands).

This situation is not new and has existed for a number of years, including on the Dutch side, the necessary discussions about this from users

In practice

In Belgium there is an adjusted rate for students. In the Netherlands there is another scheme that my son with Belgian nationality cannot use.
The route from Noorderkempen to Breda is just under 17 minutes.
12 minutes from Noorderkempen to the fictional Hazeldonk station costs 40 EUR for my son for a 3-month school subscription.
The Dutch railways ask for the section Hazeldonk - Breda, which takes 5 minutes, EUR 85 per month!

The Belgian railways

Once my son has taken out a subscription with the Belgian railway car, I can choose between a monthly, quarterly or annual subscription that I can then renew online without any problem by clicking the 'renew' button and then choosing the date when I log in on the website of the Belgian railways.

It may sound surprising that I write this like this, but at the Dutch railways this option does not exist for a border subscription and you must always start from scratch if you want to renew the subscription every month ...

And it can be much worse ...

The Dutch Railways

After the Belgian side is dealt with, I try the Dutch side.
I am going to the website to find out how to do this.

Once further I have to provide an address.
My surprise is that I can only enter a valid address and telephone number that is located in the Netherlands!

So I drive to the nearest station, Breda.
There I am told that a border subscription is the only thing that cannot be taken out at a counter and that I have to do this online and call the NS helpdesk in case of problems ...
Back home

The NS helpdesk advises me to provide a fictitious address or an address of family or friends in the Netherlands so that I can continue.
So it will be an address of friends / family in Ettenleur.

However, if I want to pay, I get stuck again, I can only do this subscription via an OV card and let it be the case that people can only put money on it with . a Dutch bank account a foreign credit / bank card does not work.

Back to the Netherlands, to open a student account for my son.

That is not possible I get to hear from the bank there, my son needs a BSN number for this, and I am referred to the municipality in Breda where they help me very friendly. I don't have to wait to make an appointment, which normally takes a few weeks because someone has dropped out, I can come in between and half an hour later we are at the bank again. There an appointment is made to open an account. +/- 2 weeks later we can come back to the bank for this.

In the meantime, I pay EUR 24 every day for a return train ticket ...

Once the bank has been put in order, I can deposit money from my Belgian account into my son's Dutch account so that he can place the money on his OV card in order to take out the subscription with the NS.

I have to fill in the same form every month from the beginning to be able to take out his monthly subscription afterwards.
This was the situation last school year.

NS IS ALWAYS DELAY IF I GO A DAY YOU SHOP WITH THE GIRL TOTALLY I WILL BE BORN !!!!!!!!!!!!!! two stars because the condektuer was sexy gr

Utrecht Central Station is one of the better stations in the Netherlands. Perfect to walk straight into the center, through Hoog Catherijne. Also clean, toilets available, lots of types of places to eat at the station. Almost every platform a kiosk present.

It is a pity that if you sit in the silence compartment as a group of students who immediately says an old woman: "This is a silence compartment."
Furthermore, it is simply doable

Provision of information in the event of a delay could be better. Also very pricey; with two people, it is often just by car including parking fees, although we are cheaper.

NS is a wonderful company ... especially the staff on the train

The reception has closed again today. Ring the bell at security.

The trains do not run. Too often there is a delay or malfunction.

Dramatic organization that reports disruptions 5 minutes in advance, does not arrange replacement transport, a customer service that is not available and puts an extra train piece out of service when it is busy!

Large building, fairly quickly accessible on foot from Utrecht CS. No parking places available.

Delay is a risk for the profession and can therefore happen, but the way in which NS customer service handles it is extremely unprofessional to the unreasonable.

Easily accessible by train, plenty of nearby parking garages. Very near the city centre for coffee, lunch, dinner or some shopping. Nice office, great and inexpensive catering, good coffee (also a publicly accessible Starbucks in the reception area). There is also a publicly accessible presentation area called Trefpunt with a cool train mockup for trying out new stuff.

This is an extremely innovative company that puts the customer first with everything they do.

At the moment there's a lot going on in the central station area: a lot of building activity which will last for a few years. But the end result will be very much worth the minor discomfort of the activity.

Become a very nice station with a wide range of shops.

today on October 10, an amount is suddenly debited from my account for the public transport bicycles in April, May and June due to a disruption on the side of NS. very unprofessional and customer unfriendly. if you are already half a year later, just take that responsibility for your mistake yourself.

Customer service over the phone is the worst I ve ever had to deal with here. Called up to ask to change the dates of my subscription i.e to start it earlier and also end earlier. Not asking for anything free. But the most common answer you get from the call center agents is I m sorry I cannot help you with that I ve called a few times and I noticed only if you start to put pressure on them and argue your case (I didn t yell nor was I upset but just explained what I needed) they would go to their supervisor and issue you a free day pass. So if you ever need a free day pass, here s your trick. I didn t want anything for free all I was asking was for convenience. But sorry they can t help.
Appalled by the level of professionalism too. Maybe it s just they handle customer service here. If the customer is upset shove the problem under the rug and give them something for free. I m sorry but this isn t the 90s anymore.

Well it is a station of the Dutch Railways, so quite dirty, you blow away on the platforms, and so I can put down more, but it is a station and not a place where you would go for some fun ...

Far too expensive for normal use. Please use the money for the 3-month campaign to simply make public transport cheaper!

Bad service, value for money. NS uses every excuse to run fewer trains and does not consider subscription holders. In warm weather, the trains are hot and the air conditioning does not work.

Perhaps first think carefully about the entire product portfolio before you start offering new products. Why can not you order with an NS Flex Weekend at abbonoment but with a traditional weekend free abbonoment? And that while you pay the same for these subscriptions.

Logic level 0. Trains run every 30 minutes opposed to every 15 during corona time. Causing them to be inconvenient and extremely full during a time that we are meant to be social distancing.

Someone explain please.

Also, wayyyyyy to expensive.
Trains often delayed or cancelled (often after the scheduled departure time.)

tickets for train are expensive, better use your car to travel - cheaper

DO NOT PUT A SUBSCRIPTION ON YOUR OV CHIP CARD! If you want to cancel the subscription (which is supposedly possible) you still have to pay for everything. Not customer friendly at all. Just scammers after your money.

Oh well top company nice stations but I am biased as NS there;)

NS can not trust the diamond at all. There are too many failures and delays. Operation management that cannot be thought of as a developed country. At the time of the ticket check, even if it is pointed out in the same case, there is a conductor who gives me a foreigner (Asian) than the white native who is in the same seat, and I can feel (racial) discrimination.

What a bad company this is. You cannot enter the hall in the CS without a ticket. In the old days you could also go by train, but now you have to have several passes. Quite sad and wasting money that they have different public transportation systems in 1 small country for the tram, metro and train. Then of course you also have different machines to recharge the card. And for public transport there is only 1. The OV chip cards then also have a limited shelf life. You have to buy a new one. Bad for the environment too. The goal is not how to transport everyone most efficiently, but "how to get everyone to pay as much as possible for as little service as possible"

Terrible customer service, with long waiting times a huge lack of relevant up to date knowledge. Transport is reasonable, the Netherlands is a densely populated country with a lot of track, and it works quite okay. Very expensive, occasional delay and dirty and too short trains. They are fully powered by wind energy, and the app is quite ok, therefore 2 stars instead of 1.

Excellent headquarters. Nice appearance. Perfectly accessible by public transport.

lost luggage, immediately stated on site.
I heard nothing a week later. then called and knows that it has already been found and sent to the main depot now you have to pay 15 euros

The Dutch Railways currently transports cattle: at busy times from Amsterdam to Zwolle with only 4 trains to drive Really not normal!

Livestock transport on a different level. Can't it be otherwise ... problem train Enschede lies between Utrecht and Apeldoorn. An extra train needs to be added. Problem solved...

NS Main Building; along the track and near Utrecht Central Station and Hoog Catharijne. Beautiful new barrel and bicycle bridge along the front and over the tracks. Nice view and well lit at night.

I always use public transport when I have to go somewhere, I am not happy with a transfer, but sometimes it is a must otherwise you will not get to the destination, I had a good connection that day

Professionalism is hard to find if you have specific issues.
Only after 3.5 hours does an employee chat. Very sad that this is how it should be, advise not to offer it if ns is not ready for such applications.
1 star is already given too much, unfortunately, I couldn't do less.

Very incorrect way of handling complaints and claims.

On location the contact details of the damage manager of the NS may receive to the case, where my grandson (injury) has suffered damage to settle. A little more than three weeks ago I contacted, but this "best man" does not respond.

Headquarters of the Dutch railways (NS)

NS uses the Dutch railway network, which is managed by ProRail. The Dutch rail network is the busiest rail network in the European Union and, after Switzerland and Japan, the busiest rail network in the world. About 6.5 percent of the entire population travels by train every day. The length of the railway network compared to the number of inhabitants makes it one of the densest networks in the world. NS is the largest user of this network to date.