From today, intercity trains are back online, meaning longer journeys will take far less time than they have for the past month.
The NS has been running on a special timetable since 21 March, which involves only two trains per hour leaving in any particular direction. These trains also stop at every station, so travelling a long distance took far more time than usual. Additionally, these trains sometimes got too full at particular times of day, meaning that it was impossible to keep a 1.5m distance from all passengers.
Not an excuse for an outing, NS emphasises
These issues will hopefully be diminished by the addition of intercity trains, but the NS was very clear that the extra rail service is not to be used as an excuse for an outing. They are purely intended to service people travelling to and from work.
Amsterdam public transport reopens more services
All around the country, other public transport networks are reopening as well. In Amsterdam, four of the five metro lines are back online, with trams running more often than they have over the past month as well. While this is partly to deal with the extra passengers from NS, it is also in anticipation of 11 May, when primary schools will partially reopen and more people will be moving around the city.
More buses and trams all over the country
Buses are also going to be coming more often. “It is one large network, if the NS suddenly comes with an extra intercity in place A, this has consequences,” said Pedro Peters, spokesman for umbrella organisation OV NL, RTLZ reports. Bus and tram companies will be monitoring the situation and adding more buses or trams if they think it is necessary.
Schedules are still uncertain
Passengers are asked to plan their journeys well in advance, because things are still unpredictable as the public transport system warms up once again.
Do you think it is a good idea to begin running intercity trains again? Let us know in the comments below.
Feature Image: Abuzer van Leeuwen/Supplied.