Zandvoort ready for thousands of Formula 1 fans

Zandvoort is preparing to receive 70,000 visitors per day for the Grand Prix from Friday. The racing event starts on Friday with the free practice sessions, Saturday is the qualifiers and Sunday is the race.

Formula 1 fans will mainly go to the coastal town by bicycle or public transport. Cars won't be able to enter Zandvoort, parking is only possible in parking lots in surrounding towns. Most of the visitors will drive to one of the 'Park & Bikes', from where they can cycle the last part to Zandvoort.

Most visitors who choose public transport will take the train. The NS expanded the timetable to Zandvoort station considerably, running 12 trains per hour, good for 10,000 passengers per hour. About 300 extra NS employees were deployed to help passengers quickly find their way to the circuit and to promote traffic flow. For visitors who come by bus, a special bus line 33 will run from Haarlem station to a stop at the boulevard of Bloemendaal aan Zee.

The flow of race fans going to Zandvoort by train was getting underway on Friday morning. According to a spokesperson for NS, things were looking well. "The timetable started well.

Twelve trains per hour started running to Zandvoort and back again at 7:30 a.m. "We see that it works well. All people are still fitting well in the trains. The waiting time is minimal," said the spokesperson. The NS expects it to get more crowded soon.

NS expects to bring an average of 23,000 people a day to Zandvoort, and an approximately equal number back later in the day. From the station it is about a ten to fifteen minute walk to the circuit.

In addition to people who managed to get a ticket, people may also go to Zandvoort to get a taste of the atmosphere. The NS called on them to travel early in the afternoon to prevent it from getting too crowded on the train.