Renovations planned for 200 train stations in Netherlands

NS will renovate another 200 of the total 396 train stations in the Netherlands. The railway company is reserving 65 million euros for these projects for the next five years, NS director Roger van Boxel announced during the presentation of the annual figures in Bilthoven on Thursday, ANP reports.

"The stations are to a large extent decisive for the experience of our passengers", Van Boxtel said. "After the renovations of the major stations like Rotterdam Central, Breda, Arnhem Central and Utrecht Central, we now want to make other stations more pleasant." According to Van Boxtel, a third of NS passengers travel through smaller stations.

One of the changes in the renovated stations is that the Kiosk will be replaced by a so-called Station Living Room, where travelers can sit and use amenities like WiFi and get something to eat or drink. By 2021, NS wants 35 stations to have these living rooms. At stations that don't have facilities yet, the rail company is looking into opening a Kiosk or creating a waiting are with food and drinks together with local entrepreneurs.

Working with ProRail, NS also wants to upgrade the bathrooms at 92 small stations.