Netherlands
NS (Netherlands)
The Dutch national rail operator.
Overview
NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) is the Dutch national rail operator.
Bikes, boarding & assistance
- Folding bikes: free as luggage if folded to 45×86×80cm or less (domestic NS). (75×53×30cm applies only to NS International, not domestic.)
- Non-folding/disassembled bikes: need a Fietskaart Dal (off-peak bike ticket) — buy via NS app/website, station, or counter. Allowed off-peak only: weekdays before 6:30am, 9am–4pm, after 6:30pm, plus all day weekends/holidays (except King's Day) and July–August.
- Boarding: no strict arrival-time rule; standard trains don't need reservations.
- Tap-in/tap-out: mandatory via OV-chipkaart/contactless card/OVpay at yellow readers.
- Station assistance: free at 115+ stations, needs a Mijn NS account, book ≥1 hour before departure.
Food & Drinks on board
NS does not currently provide regular Railcatering service onboard its trains. Passengers should purchase food and drinks at the station before boarding, as onboard catering is not generally available on domestic NS services.
- Station shops: NS stations offer a range of food and drink options through outlets such as Kiosk, Julia's, AH to go and StationsHuiskamers.
- Drinks: passengers can purchase coffee, tea, hot chocolate, water and other drinks at participating station outlets.
- Food: station shops provide various snacks, sandwiches, meals and other food options for passengers to take onboard.
- Drinking water: free drinking-water points are available at around 255 stations, allowing passengers to refill their own water bottles.
- Bring your own food: passengers can bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks for the journey.
Plan to purchase food or drinks before boarding if required. NS ended its regular onboard Railcatering service, with catering staff instead working in station shops and outlets.
Barcode/gate scanning issue
Since the Netherlands introduced contactless public transport payment, scanning a smartphone barcode at a gate can accidentally charge a digital bank card stored on the same phone instead (risking a €20 deduction). Avoid this by using a ticket saved to Google/Apple Wallet, or a printed ticket, rather than showing a bare barcode image from a phone with stored bank cards. If wrongly charged, use the OVpay website (Netherlands only) to request a refund. (Last noted: 8 January 2026 — verify this is still current before publishing.)