List of railway lines in the Netherlands
Encyclopedia
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
has a rail network approximately 2800 kilometres (1,739.8 mi) in length. Three quarters of it is electrified, one third is single track.
In the Netherlands, the railway lines are built only in standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, apart from a few narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
industrial railways.
The list on this page is not to be confused with the list on the Train routes in the Netherlands
Train routes in the Netherlands
This list of train routes in the Netherlands focuses on the routes taken by trains travelling on railway lines in the Netherlands. A list including all stops on the train routes can be found at Dutch railway services...
page. The former list focuses on the railway lines in the Netherlands, and the latter list focuses on the routes taken by trains travelling on those railway lines.
List of railway lines by province
In contrast with the motorways in the Netherlands, and the railway lines in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the railway lines in the Netherlands are not identified by line numbers. For that reason, the lines listed below are named simply by reference to the names of their terminii.
GroningenGroningen (province)Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
- Groningen–Delfzijl railway
- Harlingen–Nieuweschans railwayHarlingen–Nieuweschans railwayThe Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from the port of Harlingen to Nieuweschans, passing through Leeuwarden and Groningen. The line was opened between 1863 and 1868. It is also known as the Staatslijn "B"...
- Ihrhove–Nieuweschans railwayIhrhove–Nieuweschans railwayThe Ihrhove–Nieuweschans railway is an international railway line running from Ihrhove near Leer in Germany to Nieuweschans in the Netherlands. The line was opened in 1876. Ihrhove is situated on the north-south Emsland Railway, between Papenburg and Leer...
- Meppel–Groningen railwayMeppel–Groningen railwayThe Meppel–Groningen railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Meppel to Groningen, passing through Hoogeveen and Assen. The line was opened in 1870...
- Sauwerd–Roodeschool railway
- Stadskanaal–Zuidbroek railway
FrieslandFrieslandFriesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
- Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway
- Harlingen–Nieuweschans railwayHarlingen–Nieuweschans railwayThe Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from the port of Harlingen to Nieuweschans, passing through Leeuwarden and Groningen. The line was opened between 1863 and 1868. It is also known as the Staatslijn "B"...
- Leeuwarden–Stavoren railway
DrentheDrentheDrenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
- Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway
- Gronau–Coevorden railway
- Meppel–Groningen railwayMeppel–Groningen railwayThe Meppel–Groningen railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Meppel to Groningen, passing through Hoogeveen and Assen. The line was opened in 1870...
- Zwolle–Emmen railway
OverijsselOverijsselOverijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
- Almelo–Salzbergen railwayAlmelo–Salzbergen railwayThe Almelo-Salzbergen railway is an important Dutch and German 54 kilometre long railway line, that connects Almelo with Salzbergen, offering a rail link between The Netherlands and Germany.-History:...
- Apeldoorn–Deventer railwayApeldoorn–Deventer railwayThe Apeldoorn–Deventer railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands, running from Apeldoorn to Deventer. The line was opened between 1887 and 1888...
- Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway
- Deventer–Almelo railwayDeventer–Almelo railwayThe Deventer-Almelo railway is an important Dutch railway line, that connects Deventer with Almelo, The Netherlands.-History:The railway was opened by the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Locaalspoorweg-Maatschappij on 1 September 1888, with construction starting in 1887. When the line opened it offered...
- Doetinchem–Hengelo railway
- Dortmund–Enschede railway
- Lelystad–Zwolle railway (Hanzelijn)
- Mariënberg–Almelo railway
- Utrecht–Kampen railwayUtrecht–Kampen railwayThe Utrecht–Kampen railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Utrecht to Kampen, passing through Amersfoort and Zwolle...
- Zutphen–Glanerbeek railwayZutphen–Glanerbeek railwayThe Zutphen–Glanerbeek railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from Zutphen to the German border at Glanerbrug, passing through Hengelo and Enschede. It is also called the Staatslijn D in Dutch. "Glanerbeek" is the former name for the Glanerbrug railway station. The line was opened...
- Zwolle–Almelo railway
- Zwolle–Emmen railway
FlevolandFlevolandFlevoland is a province of the Netherlands. Located in the centre of the country, at the location of the former Zuiderzee, the province was established on January 1, 1986; the twelfth province of the country, with Lelystad as its capital...
- Lelystad–Zwolle railway (Hanzelijn)
- Weesp–Lelystad railway (Flevolijn)
GelderlandGelderlandGelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
- Amsterdam–Arnhem railwayAmsterdam–Arnhem railwayThe Amsterdam–Arnhem railway or Rhijnspoorweg is an important Dutch railway line, that connects Amsterdam with Utrecht and Arnhem, The Netherlands and also into Germany.-History:...
- Amsterdam–Zutphen railway
- Apeldoorn–Deventer railwayApeldoorn–Deventer railwayThe Apeldoorn–Deventer railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands, running from Apeldoorn to Deventer. The line was opened between 1887 and 1888...
- Arnhem–Nijmegen railwayArnhem–Nijmegen railwayThe Arnhem–Nijmegen railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Arnhem to Nijmegen, passing through Elst. The line was opened in 1879...
- Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway
- Dieren–Apeldoorn railway
- Elst–Dordrecht railway
- Kesteren–Amersfoort railway
- Nijmegen–Kleve railway
- Nijkerk–Ede-Wageningen railway
- Nijmegen–Venlo railway
- Oberhausen–Arnhem railway
- Rotterdam–Zevenaar railway
- Tilburg–Nijmegen railwayTilburg–Nijmegen railwayThe Tilburg–Nijmegen railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Tilburg to Nijmegen, passing through 's-Hertogenbosch. The line was opened in 1881.-Stations:The main interchange stations on the Tilburg–Nijmegen railway are:...
- Utrecht–Boxtel railwayUtrecht–Boxtel railwayThe Utrecht–Boxtel railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Utrecht to Boxtel, passing through Geldermalsen and Boxtel. The line was opened between 1868 and 1870...
- Utrecht–Kampen railwayUtrecht–Kampen railwayThe Utrecht–Kampen railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Utrecht to Kampen, passing through Amersfoort and Zwolle...
- Winterswijk–Zevenaar railway
- Zutphen–Glanerbeek railwayZutphen–Glanerbeek railwayThe Zutphen–Glanerbeek railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from Zutphen to the German border at Glanerbrug, passing through Hengelo and Enschede. It is also called the Staatslijn D in Dutch. "Glanerbeek" is the former name for the Glanerbrug railway station. The line was opened...
UtrechtUtrecht (province)Utrecht is the smallest province of the Netherlands in terms of area, and is located in the centre of the country. It is bordered by the Eemmeer in the north, Gelderland in the east, the river Rhine in the south, South Holland in the west, and North Holland in the northwest...
- Amsterdam–Arnhem railwayAmsterdam–Arnhem railwayThe Amsterdam–Arnhem railway or Rhijnspoorweg is an important Dutch railway line, that connects Amsterdam with Utrecht and Arnhem, The Netherlands and also into Germany.-History:...
- Amsterdam–Zutphen railway
- Den Dolder–Baarn railway
- De Haar–Rhenen railway
- Harmelen–Breukelen railway
- Hilversum–Lunetten railway
- Kesteren–Amersfoort railway
- Utrecht–Boxtel railwayUtrecht–Boxtel railwayThe Utrecht–Boxtel railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Utrecht to Boxtel, passing through Geldermalsen and Boxtel. The line was opened between 1868 and 1870...
- Utrecht–Rotterdam railwayUtrecht–Rotterdam railwayThe Utrecht–Rotterdam railway is a heavily used railway line in the Netherlands, running from Utrecht to Rotterdam, passing through Gouda. The line was opened between 1855 and 1858. The western terminus was originally the Rotterdam Maas station. In 1899, a connection with the Rotterdam Delftse...
- Utrecht–Kampen railwayUtrecht–Kampen railwayThe Utrecht–Kampen railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Utrecht to Kampen, passing through Amersfoort and Zwolle...
- Woerden–Leiden railway
North HollandNorth HollandNorth Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
- Aalsmeer–Amsterdam Willemspark railway
- Amsterdam–Zutphen railway
- Amsterdam–Arnhem railwayAmsterdam–Arnhem railwayThe Amsterdam–Arnhem railway or Rhijnspoorweg is an important Dutch railway line, that connects Amsterdam with Utrecht and Arnhem, The Netherlands and also into Germany.-History:...
- Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway
- Amsterdam–Schiphol railwayAmsterdam–Schiphol railwayThe Amsterdam-Schiphol railway is an important Dutch 17 kilometre long railway line, that connects Amsterdam with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and further to Leiden, The Hague and Rotterdam.-History:...
- Haarlem–Uitgeest railway
- Haarlem–Zandvoort railway
- Heerhugowaard–Hoorn railway
- Hilversum–Lunetten railway
- Hoorn–Medemblik railway
- Den Helder–Amsterdam railway
- HSL-ZuidHSL-ZuidHSL-Zuid , is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line in the Netherlands to the Belgian border, with a branch to Breda. Together with the Belgian HSL 4 it forms the Schiphol–Antwerp high-speed railway...
- Santpoort Noord–IJmuiden railway
- Weesp–Leiden railway
- Weesp–Lelystad railway (Flevolijn)
- Zaandam–Enkhuizen railwayZaandam–Enkhuizen railwayThe Zaandam–Enkhuizen railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from Zaandam to Enkhuizen, passing through Purmerend and Hoorn. The line was opened between 1884 and 1885 by the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij.-Stations:...
South HollandSouth HollandSouth Holland is a province situated on the North Sea in the western part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is The Hague and its largest city is Rotterdam.South Holland is one of the most densely populated and industrialised areas in the world...
- Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway
- Breda–Rotterdam railwayBreda–Rotterdam railwayThe Breda–Rotterdam railway is a heavily used railway line in the Netherlands running from Breda to Rotterdam, passing through Dordrecht. It is also called the Staatslijn I in Dutch...
- Elst–Dordrecht railway
- Gouda–Alphen aan den Rijn railway
- Gouda–Den Haag railwayGouda–Den Haag railwayThe Gouda–Den Haag railway is a heavily used railway line in the Netherlands, running from Gouda to Den Haag , passing through Zoetermeer...
- HSL-ZuidHSL-ZuidHSL-Zuid , is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line in the Netherlands to the Belgian border, with a branch to Breda. Together with the Belgian HSL 4 it forms the Schiphol–Antwerp high-speed railway...
- Rotterdam–Zevenaar railway
- Schiedam–Hoek van Holland railway
- Utrecht–Rotterdam railwayUtrecht–Rotterdam railwayThe Utrecht–Rotterdam railway is a heavily used railway line in the Netherlands, running from Utrecht to Rotterdam, passing through Gouda. The line was opened between 1855 and 1858. The western terminus was originally the Rotterdam Maas station. In 1899, a connection with the Rotterdam Delftse...
- Weesp–Leiden railway
- Woerden–Leiden railway
- Havenspoorlijn
ZeelandZeelandZeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
- Gent–Terneuzen railway
- Lewedorp–Vlissingen Sloehaven railway
- Mechelen–Terneuzen railway
- Roosendaal–Vlissingen railway
North BrabantNorth BrabantNorth Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
- Antwerp–Lage Zwaluwe railwayAntwerp–Lage Zwaluwe railwayThe Antwerp–Lage Zwaluwe railway is an important international railway line running from Antwerp in Belgium to Lage Zwaluwe in the Netherlands. The line was opened between 1854 and 1876...
- Boxtel–Büderich railway
- Breda–Eindhoven railwayBreda–Eindhoven railwayThe Breda–Eindhoven railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Breda to Eindhoven, passing through Tilburg and Boxtel. The line was opened between 1863 and 1866...
- Breda–Rotterdam railwayBreda–Rotterdam railwayThe Breda–Rotterdam railway is a heavily used railway line in the Netherlands running from Breda to Rotterdam, passing through Dordrecht. It is also called the Staatslijn I in Dutch...
- Eindhoven–Weert railwayEindhoven–Weert railwayThe Eindhoven–Weert railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from Eindhoven to Weert. The line was opened in 1913. It is an important link between the cities in the western and northern part of the Netherlands, and the Limburgish cities of Maastricht and Heerlen.-Stations:The main...
- HSL-ZuidHSL-ZuidHSL-Zuid , is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line in the Netherlands to the Belgian border, with a branch to Breda. Together with the Belgian HSL 4 it forms the Schiphol–Antwerp high-speed railway...
- Nijmegen–Venlo railway
- Roosendaal–Breda railway
- Roosendaal–Vlissingen railway
- Tilburg–Nijmegen railwayTilburg–Nijmegen railwayThe Tilburg–Nijmegen railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Tilburg to Nijmegen, passing through 's-Hertogenbosch. The line was opened in 1881.-Stations:The main interchange stations on the Tilburg–Nijmegen railway are:...
- Utrecht–Boxtel railwayUtrecht–Boxtel railwayThe Utrecht–Boxtel railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Utrecht to Boxtel, passing through Geldermalsen and Boxtel. The line was opened between 1868 and 1870...
- Venlo–Eindhoven railwayVenlo–Eindhoven railwayThe Venlo–Eindhoven railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Venlo to Eindhoven, passing through Helmond. The line was opened in 1866. It is part of the Staatslijn "E".-Stations:...
LimburgLimburg (Netherlands)Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
- Eindhoven–Weert railwayEindhoven–Weert railwayThe Eindhoven–Weert railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from Eindhoven to Weert. The line was opened in 1913. It is an important link between the cities in the western and northern part of the Netherlands, and the Limburgish cities of Maastricht and Heerlen.-Stations:The main...
- Heerlen–Schin op Geul railway
- Liège–Maastricht railwayLiège–Maastricht railwayThe Liège–Maastricht railway is a railway line running from Liège in Belgium to Maastricht in the Netherlands. The line was opened in 1861.-Stations:...
- Maastricht–Hasselt railway
- Maastricht–Aachen railway
- Maastricht–Venlo railwayMaastricht–Venlo railwayThe Maastricht–Venlo railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from Maastricht to Venlo, passing through Sittard and Roermond. The line was opened in 1865...
- Nijmegen–Venlo railway
- Schaesberg–Simpelveld railway
- Sittard–Herzogenrath railwaySittard–Herzogenrath railwayThe Sittard–Herzogenrath railway is a railway line running from Sittard in the Netherlands to Herzogenrath in Germany, passing through Heerlen. The line was opened in 1896.-Stations:The main interchange stations on the Sittard–Herzogenrath railway are:...
- Venlo–Eindhoven railwayVenlo–Eindhoven railwayThe Venlo–Eindhoven railway is an important railway line in the Netherlands running from Venlo to Eindhoven, passing through Helmond. The line was opened in 1866. It is part of the Staatslijn "E".-Stations:...
- Viersen–Venlo railwayViersen–Venlo railwayThe Viersen–Venlo railway is a railway line running from Viersen in Germany to Venlo in the Netherlands. The line was opened in 1866 by the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company. Formerly used by international passenger trains between The Hague and Cologne, it is now only used by the...
- Weert–Roermond railway
Stretches with four tracks
- 5 Schiphol – Hoofddorp
- 5, 7 Leiden – Rijswijk
- 7 Schiedam – Dordrecht
- 13, 20 Amsterdam Centraal – Amsterdam Muiderpoort
- 13 Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena – Utrecht
- 9, 12 Boxtel – Eindhoven
- 15, 16, 19 Utrecht Centraal – Utrecht Overvecht
- 18 Utrecht – Woerden
- 18 Gouda – Gouda Goverwelle
Former railways
The railways in the following list have been closed and demolished:- Aalsmeer–Haarlem railway
- Aalsmeer–Nieuwersluis-Loenen railway
- Apeldoorn–Zwolle railway
- Assen–Stadskanaal railway
- Boekelo–Oldenzaal railway
- Bovenkerk–Uithoorn railway
- De Bilt–Zeist railway
- Deventer–Ommen railway
- Enschede–Ahaus railway
- Glanerbrug–Losser railway
- Groningen–Weiwerd railway
- Haltern–Venlo railway
- Hattem–Kampen Zuid railway
- Hoofddorp–Leiden Heerensingel railway
- Leeuwarden–Anjum railway
- Neede–Hellendoorn railway
- St. Pancras–Broek op Langedijk railway
- Stiens–Harlingen railway
- Tzummarum–Franeker railway
- Uithoorn–Alphen aan den Rijn railway
- Varsseveld–Dinxperlo railway
- Winsum–Zoutkamp railway
- Winterswijk–Neede railway
- Zevenaar–Kleve railway
- Zuidbroek–Delfzijl railway