Dutch Ticket Barriers with InterRail

[317666]

I understand that many stations in the Netherlands have been fitted with ticket barriers, in preparation for paper tickets to be completely phased out following the introduction of the OV-chipkaart. Are these barriers still just left open, or have paper tickets now gone and the barriers now in use? If they are now in use, how would you be able to pass through if you had a BeNeLux Interrail (presuming that they aren't manned at smaller stations)?

The only information I can find on the NS website concerns NS HiSpeed which is retaining paper tickets, and it says: "When the time comes that the gates can only be opened using an OV-chipkaart a solution will have been found to help international passengers to get through the gates."

Thanks in advance.

 

[radamfi]

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reizen_met_de_OV-chipkaart_in_de_trein

"Afschaffen papieren kaartje vol tarief in het najaar van 2013"

Full price paper tickets will be phased out in autumn 2013.

"Tot en met 15 juli 2014 kunnen de laatste papieren keuzedagen nog gebruikt worden, en moeten er dus nog open poortjes zijn."

Undated paper tickets will still be valid until 15 July 2014 so barriers must be open until at least then.

Since the barriers are unmanned, my guess is that you will have to use the intercom to contact staff in the same way that some barriers in the UK are unmanned in parts of the station, and you need to press the button and show your ticket to the camera.

Paper tickets are being replaced by disposable OV-Chipkaarts (like what they have on trams in Amsterdam and Rotterdam) so you don't actually need to get a proper OV-Chipkaart to travel on Dutch trains.

 

[317666]

Thanks a lot, I was intending to make this trip before July so should be alright. Having to use an intercom does sound like a bit of a faff, although short of being able to load an InterRail onto an OV-chipkaart I can't see any other way around it.

 

[radamfi]

Station gating is a political hot potato so they may even be removed.

 

[tripleseis]

When we were there earlier this year, the gates were left open at Amsterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal. We had paper tickets.

 

[radamfi]

When we were there earlier this year, the gates were left open at Amsterdam Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal. We had paper tickets.

They can't close the barriers until paper tickets are phased out. However, paper ticket usage is dying out as only undiscounted singles are available on paper now. Season tickets, railcards and discounted fares bought with a railcard are now only on the OV-Chipkaart.

According to

http://www.metronieuws.nl/nieuws/po...station-hilversum-dicht/SrZmdn!B1qb8uGyXqNNM/

there was a test at Hilversum where the barriers were closed for two days. The article says they left a gate open for those with paper tickets.

 

[atillathehunn]

It's going to be impossible to phase out the paper tickets and go to completely barrier operation. To have €7 (the cost of an anonymous chip card) added to every rail journey for a tourist or zo.

 

[radamfi]

It's going to be impossible to phase out the paper tickets and go to completely barrier operation. To have €7 (the cost of an anonymous chip card) added to every rail journey for a tourist or zo.

They are replacing paper tickets with disposable OV-Chipkaarts, like what they have for single and day tickets in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Therefore tourists won't need to buy a proper OV-Chipkaart if they only want to use the train.

 

[atillathehunn]

Ah. Explains much. It does not concern me too much, my transport is covered by the govt.

Though I did note that the most recent dagkaarts have been the version which scan on the OV reader

 

[radamfi]

Though I did note that the most recent dagkaarts have been the version which scan on the OV reader

Yes, the Dagkaart is now only available by loading the ticket onto the OV-Chipkaart at the machine, and is only valid on NS (i.e. not on Arriva, Syntus, Connexxion, Veolia)

http://www.ns.nl/reizigers/producten/losse-kaartjes/index.html

Although there are regular offers from various shops for heavily discounted tickets.

 

[dutchflyer]

It's going to be impossible to phase out the paper tickets and go to completely barrier operation. To have €7 (the cost of an anonymous chip card) added to every rail journey for a tourist or zo.

THis is nonsense. Its like an Oyster-the card remains valid for 5 years, but is not refundable. Actual cost is 7,50. MINImum balance needed on card for full fare on NS is however -quote as 20, but in practice 16, eur.
ALSO: MANY more as just the use-today singles are still as paper. The most recent issue of cheap daytickets-via local stores (13,99) was combined chip/stamp version.
It seems now that-as all stations have emergency fones- that Holders of paper INT-IR etc. passes/tickets need to fone the centre and have them open the gates especially for you. I noted this system in Japan on a minor metro-line-though there it was with magnetic stripe tickets-but its the same idea. The centre can remotely set the gates for entry/exit or 1 time use. In my local station-there have been open gates since 5 years by now and they have even be renovated since-without any real use.
NS has completely thus missed out on the new direction of railtickets-with those scramble barcodes and optic readers-like also EuroStar now has.

 

[Matt Taylor]

I was in Amsterdam not so long ago and was surprised to see all barriers open, this was at Centraal: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40172673@N03/10669028984/

 

[atillathehunn]

THis is nonsense.

Slightly unnecessary...

 

[blackfive460]

I thought I'd try to get some information about this from the horse's mouth and emailed Eurail. Here's the reply:

Thank you for your message,

Indeed we are aware of this. The solution will be in the direction of a barcode. The barcode will give right of passage to international travellers.

Kind regards,

Petra Jabroer
Eurail Group GIE

 

[radamfi]

Indeed we are aware of this. The solution will be in the direction of a barcode. The barcode will give right of passage to international travellers.

Does this mean NS are getting barcode readers for their barriers? Doesn't sound likely.

 

[Larry2]

I was in the Netherlands in December and I used paper tickets for the train. Still possible but not for the subway I believe

 

[NL Railways]

Does this mean NS are getting barcode readers for their barriers? Doesn't sound likely.

Yes they are talking indeed about barcode readers for International ticket holders, this is debated on Dutch Railway forums. Anyway paper tickets are still in place at this moment because the didn´t find a solution how to fix capped prices for long distance routes, and there a still some issues with other train operators like Arriva and Veolia transport.

Only the bigger stations will have ticket gates and stations at surburban areas like Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Most of those station will be staffed. For this moment all the gates at train station are still open. Only surburban metro and underground around greater Amsterdam and Rotterdam have closed gates at the moment and traintickets are not valid anyway on those networks.

 

[shx]

Yes they are talking indeed about barcode readers for International ticket holders

Well, that would solve the problem for the vast majority of international travelers - not for all of them. International tickets are still issued in hand-written form - implicating a missing barcode.

 

[NL Railways]

Most tourist are using busy mainline stations which are manned and you could ask easily for assistance in this case. Even when i lived in the UK for while and I travelled with the DutchFlyer rail and sail ticket I had to ask for assistance at London Liverpool street to board the train to Harwich, because the gates cannot read my ticket issued by stena line.

Travelling with InterRail within the UK isn´t easy either because mainline stations are gated as well like all London station and Leeds for example.

 

[radamfi]

Most tourist are using busy mainline stations which are manned and you could ask easily for assistance in this case. Even when i lived in the UK for while and I travelled with the DutchFlyer rail and sail ticket I had to ask for assistance at London Liverpool street to board the train to Harwich, because the gates cannot read my ticket issued by stena line.

Travelling with InterRail within the UK isn´t easy either because mainline stations are gated as well like all London station and Leeds for example.

The difference is that gates in the UK nearly always have a member of staff to assist with opening the gate for tickets that don't work. A few require you to show the ticket to a camera where it will be remotely opened, however there will always be another place in the station where the gates have staff.

 

[NL Railways]

The difference is that gates in the UK nearly always have a member of staff to assist with opening the gate for tickets that don't work. A few require you to show the ticket to a camera where it will be remotely opened, however there will always be another place in the station where the gates have staff.

I think this kind of solution will also happen over here in the Netherland, apart from some small station around the suburbs in the main cities, which have a alarm button to help you out. Most tourist I think use stations which are staffed anyway, and a city like Groningen in the north don´t have gates at all.

 

[radamfi]

I just got an email from NS saying that barriers are going to be in operation in peak hours at Rotterdam-Alexander station from Monday as a trial. However, there will be staff to let you in/out if you don't have an OV-Chipkaart. A similar trial at Woerden started a few weeks ago.

 

[NL Railways]

I was last Friday at Rotterdam Alexander station one barrier was still open at the platform end in the direction to Gouda/Utrecht.