Attention, passengers! From December 14 onwards, the NS will be implementing its 2026 rail timetable, featuring more trains and better connections.
Are you travelling to or from Hoofddorp, The Hague, Utrecht, or Rotterdam? You’ll now be able to catch even earlier morning trains (and later evening trains), thanks to the NS’ new train schedule.
There will also be more Sprinters on the Zaanlijn during weekends, more Intercities between Amersfoort and Deventer on weekdays, and additional Saturday Sprinters between The Hague and Dordrecht.
Expect earlier “early” trains and later “late” trains
Despite our days being shortened in winter, NS will run the first train of the day earlier in a lot of locations, and the last train will run later.
Schiphol gets earlier connections from both Hilversum and Amersfoort on Sundays, and late-night travellers from Hoofddorp to Amsterdam can now catch the last Sprinter until just after 1 AM.
The last Intercity between The Hague and Rotterdam will run until 2 AM, and Utrecht also gets earlier Sprinters on weekday mornings and later trains toward Zwolle, Deventer, and beyond every day.
Get easier access to Zeeland and North Brabant
The intercity running from Zwolle to Roosendaal will now extend all the way to Vlissingen, allowing Zeelanders direct travel to Breda, Tilburg, and beyond, more than once an hour.
To celebrate these improvements, the NS will also hand out worstenbolus or sausage buns to passengers in Vlissingen on December 15.
But watch out for disruptions in the new year
Problems related to rail infrastructure, especially concerning the high-speed line, continue to hold the NS back.
Although talks with ProRail continue, the speed restrictions in place limit the reliability of trains and prevent the NS from scheduling as ambitiously as it would like.
@dutchreview I’ve been waiting for 3 hours… 😃 #dutchreview #dutch #international #ns #train #delay #cancellation #MemeCut #Meme ♬ original sound – God's property Young
There will be major trackwork in January and February 2026, where reizigers from Schiphol, The Hague, and Haarlem will face disruptions.
On top of that, old systems and signal failures still cause sudden delays and cancellations, as is a rite of passage when travelling with the NS!
So don’t forget to double-check your regular routes on the NS app!
Will you benefit from the new timetable? Tell us in the comments below.
