Saturday, January 29, 2011

I Heart Yellow Trains


As with the lovably rag-tag feel of Boston's T, or the cleanliness and efficiency of the DC Metro, I have come to feel warmly towards the yellow Dutch trains, with their 80s-style interior and (typically) friendly conductors. I commute every day through Den Haag's central station, where the yellow trains line up patiently for commuters and travelers alike. I like how the trains are both mundane components of the national public transit system (who doesn't love commuting by train?) and the promise of new adventures, the link to the greater European rail network. Bucharest, here I come! Few things thrill me more these days than hearing the shrill whistle of a conductor as the train doors close and we pull out of a station.

Reasons why I heart yellow trains:
  • The voordeelurenabonnement, aka Jeff's NS card: 40% off (40% off!) all travel on trains throughout the Netherlands - and not just for cardholder Jeff, but for three other people, too. This is an even better deal than the museumkaart, though only available to people with a Dutch bank account. In fact, the NS card was one of our primary motivations for getting a Dutch bank account. And boy was it worth it.
  • Instant gratification, aka the joy of jumping on a train as the whistle blows and the doors close: We have shown up to the train station without tickets literally two minutes before a train is supposed to leave. No problem! And while a thirty-minute layover in an airport is a recipe for craziness, a five minute layover by train is perfect - it still leaves time to grab a coffee and a snack. Anything longer than half an hour, and you have time to see half the town. Trains involve no security lines, no long terminal halls, no check in or ticket collecting at a gate. No lines, period. This makes for efficient, fun, and spontaneous travel.
  • The information people at the stations appear to have memorized the train schedules and platforms for the entire country. Going from Maastricht to Den Haag? Take the 13:23 from platform 3, transfer at Eindhoven to platform 15. Next!
  • Many of the Dutch train stations are beautiful relics of the golden era of train travel (notable exception: Rotterdam), and all of them are centrally located. Thus we continue our 100% avoidance of taxis in the Netherlands.
  • Trains are cool.
Reasons why I sometimes threaten to break up with yellow trains:
  • Lack of information: There are some stations in the Netherlands (erhem, Leiden) that do not have any central sign announcing the next trains. Instead you must decipher the complex yellow train time tables (in Dutch) which of course cannot provide updated information about delayed trains. Which brings us to...
  • Track works: two more dreaded words were never known to Dutch train travelers. The Dutch train system is fairly orderly and efficient - it's no Germany, but trains usually run on time, and delays typically do not exceed 10 minutes. But boy howdy, throw in some "track works" and all bets are off. Going north? Today you will have to go east then south, then loop around via Germany. Trying to get to the airport for an early morning flight? Oops, we forgot to tell you this train isn't going to the airport today - you will have to get off at the next station, detour to Amsterdam, then backtrack to Schiphol. And if you can understand this Dutch announcement, I should also warn you the next train to Amsterdam is delayed.* Have a great flight!
* True story.

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