Special NS timetable for SAIL Amsterdam to affect train traffic through Noord-Holland
NS expects to transport around 590,000 people to and from SAIL Amsterdam later this week and has adjusted the timetable to accommodate the extra travelers. The adjustments will impact train traffic in almost all of Noord-Holland from Wednesday to Sunday.
The extra SAIL travelers amount to 120,000 more people on the trains per day, on top of the regular passengers using the train to get to work or school, for example. NS is therefore deploying more and longer trains at certain times, but these trains have to come from somewhere. So fewer trains are running on other routes.
On the Den Helder-Alkmaar-Amsterdam route, for example, only half of the usual intercity trains will run from Wednesday to Sunday. Typically, there’s an intercity on this route every 15 minutes. During SAIL, it will be every 30 minutes.
On top of the additional travelers in the area, trains on the Almere-Amsterdam and Schiphol-Amsterdam routes are expected to be extra crowded due to railworks at Amsterdam Central Station. Trains between Amsterdam Central Station and Leiden Central Station, via Schiphol, will also use a bus replacement service for a portion of the route due to track work, but that is expected to be wrapped up during the overnight hours before SAIL kicks off.
NS expects the adjusted timetable to accommodate the extra travelers well and doesn’t expect any major crowd issues on the trains, a spokesperson told NH Nieuws. “Although it will be busy between Alkmaar and Amsterdam during the peak hours, it is not expected to be any busier than usual during the peak hours.”
“It’s a serious puzzle. We’re trying to accommodate everyone,” the spokesperson said. The rail operator recommends leaving on time and checking the NS travel app shortly before departure.
