New national NS timetable comes into effect today; Flevoland route finally reopens

The new timetable of the Dutch Railways (NS) for 2023 comes into effect. Fewer trains will run on the routes than before the Covid-19 crisis and the evening timetable will start as early as 8 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. However, starting Sunday travelers can again return to the Hanzelijn station between Lelystad Center and Dronten again. This route had been unusable since September due to extensive damage following an electrical incident.

With the new timetable, there will still be two Intercity trains and sprinters per hour during off-peak hours, evening hours and weekends. There will also be fewer Intercity trains during rush hour on Fridays.

The NS is implementing the reduced service because of the personnel shortages the railway operator is facing. In return for the decrease in trains, NS is making a third of its trains longer. Part of the new timetable had been gradually implemented since September.

At the same time as the reduced timetable comes into effect, travelers will be able to use the Hanzelijn station again from Sunday. The station will celebrate its 10th anniversary this month.

In early September, an overhead line was hit by a high-voltage cable. This caused damage to the cables and switches, many of which burned through. Meanwhile, the damage has been repaired and the route is operational again.