Schiphol station timetable completely overhauled: this is changing
– From now on, the Intercity Direct will continue from Schiphol to Amsterdam South instead of Amsterdam Central. Instead, there will be a high-frequency Sprinter connection to Amsterdam Central Station, the so-called Airport Sprinter, with up to eight trains per hour in each direction. Travelers from the airport to Amsterdam Central Station and vice versa will spend a few minutes longer on the journey due to the extra stops of the Sprinter.
– Schiphol will lose the direct Intercity connection with Twente. All Intercity trains from that region will soon run to The Hague Central Station during the day and to Rotterdam Central Station in the evenings. Anyone who wants to go to Schiphol from Twente will always have to transfer at Amersfoort Central Station.
– Schiphol will have a faster Intercity connection with Antwerp and Brussels. The NS is introducing a faster Intercity to Belgium, which after Amsterdam South only stops at Schiphol, Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels South. This reduces the total travel time for NS customers from Amsterdam by approximately 45 minutes, and almost 40 minutes from Schiphol to Brussels South. This new Intercity is barely slower than the Eurostar.
– Schiphol will lose the direct Intercity connection with the Belgian stations Noorderkempen, Mechelen, Brussels Airport, Brussels North and Brussels Central. An Intercity to the Netherlands will continue to run from those stations, but in the Netherlands it will only stop in Breda and Rotterdam. Rotterdam will be the end point.
– On the high-speed line between Schiphol and Rotterdam, the number of Intercity Direct trains will be reduced from five to four per hour. The NS does want to use longer trains, so that this should not be at the expense of the number of seats.
– Some of the Intercity trains on the Schiphol – The Hague – Rotterdam route (not via the high-speed line, but via the Old Line) no longer stop in Schiedam. This will reduce the number of direct Intercity trains between Schiphol and Schiedam from four to two per hour during rush hour.
– Trains will run more often from Schiphol on various other routes. For example, an Intercity service will run towards Leiden and Utrecht every 10 minutes almost all day long, instead of only during rush hour. In addition, more Sprinters will drive to Hoorn and – on Friday – to Leiden. Between rush hours, an Intercity service runs from Schiphol to Flevoland four times an hour. Furthermore, the arrival of the Airport Sprinter means there is a higher frequency from Schiphol to Amsterdam Lelylaan and Sloterdijk.
In the coming weeks, traveler organizations and regional authorities may advise on the new timetable, but this usually does not result in major changes. The new timetable will start in mid-December 2024.
