Schiphol Airport to Utrecht Centraal

[Class800]

My business travel agent is stumped by this, so maybe someone here can help. What ticket types are there for Dutch railways? Are there returns? Are tickets specific to one train, like our Advance fares? The agent put into booking system the journey as I requested but was asked for the train times and was not clear if the ticket would be tied to that train, or flexible, or actually how the ticket would be collected. The agent usually uses TOD.

It's Schiphol to Utrecht on evening of 15 March, coming back morning (peak) of 17 March.

 

[philg999]

On Netherlands domestic trains, there are no return fares, no advance discount fares, and no seat reservations. Just jump on any train. The only discounts you can get are for groups, tickets which include a hotel/attraction, or if you have a discount/subscription card.

 

[Class800]

The agent would like to book it in advance via their portal - so is it the case that even if the portal asks for a time, the ticket isn't tied to a specific train? How would the ticket be collected? We usually get a booking confirmation and have to collect at station

 

[biko]

The agent would like to book it in advance via their portal - so is it the case that even if the portal asks for a time, the ticket isn't tied to a specific train? How would the ticket be collected? We usually get a booking confirmation and have to collect at station

Probably the system is some kind of international booking system built for advance tickets. There is no such thing as tickets tied to a specific train for domestic trains, only for trains crossing the border. So just use any train on the day.

Collection of tickets doesn’t exist over here. It will be an e-ticket if bought online or if the booking portal in some way or another manages to arrange a physical ticket, a disposable OV-chipkaart. Collection is not an option, so that would be by mail.

 

[Class800]

Probably the system is some kind of international booking system built for advance tickets. There is no such thing as tickets tied to a specific train for domestic trains, only for trains crossing the border. So just use any train on the day.

Collection of tickets doesn’t exist over here. It will be an e-ticket if bought online or if the booking portal in some way or another manages to arrange a physical ticket, a disposable OV-chipkaart. Collection is not an option, so that would be by mail.

OK - I'll ask the agent if they are confident to do it, otherwise I'll have to do it on arrival. We prefer to pay via the portal, saves using expenses

 

[dutchflyer]

It is MUCH more simple: just forget it-and save the extra expense in commission.
IT is very much like in the LON/Oyster area; also no chance on a slightly cheaper advance-tied times. ANd we (I am NL) have now since 1/2 also joined that bandwagon: instead of the nasty chipcard (think Oyster) one can now-only as full fare, but that is for you anyway, use bank or crd-cd for payment-just do NOT forget to check In with that at S´hol airpt, as this main stop is not gated-Utr is. Use (really need to say this?) very same cd to do the check out there.
Trains should run 4x /hr so also no need to worry very much about layover times etc-plus that airpls from GB are notoriously unreliable in when they arr.-plus the need to pass immigr etc that may be understaffed or lay on another ´work to rule´ semi-strikeday. Do also not expect ´IC´ level of comfort, even as trains are labelled as such-its all double-deck 4 or 6-car sets, at most times very heavy loads from next stop-Ams Zuid.
In fact any ticket from agent would likely lead to many more probs when you have to pass gates with it in Utr.
If any other transit would be needed: can do it all same way.

 

[Class800]

Point noted. Company policy is use our agent if we can; if not then use our company credit card; then only if can't then pay and claim expenses. Think I have the information I need now, thanks. Not sure why you think there'll be an issue in Utrecht with an e-ticket?

 

[alholmes]

Point noted. Company policy is use our agent if we can; if not then use our company credit card; then only if can't then pay and claim expenses. Think I have the information I need now, thanks. Not sure why you think there'll be an issue in Utrecht with an e-ticket?

As long as your company credit card isn’t an Amex card then just use it contactless to tap in and tap out.

 

[Class800]

As long as your company credit card isn’t an Amex card then just use it contactless to tap in and tap out.

We can't take the company credit card with us, there's only one per department, it's for purchasing

 

[AlexNL]

The Dutch railways do not do Advance tickets for domestic trains. There's no "peak/off peak/super off peak" ticket types either.

What you can buy at a ticket vending machine is full fare only and is valid on any train. Please note, NS ask a € 1 surcharge for buying from a TVM - this is to encourage people to travel on smartcard or with e-tickets.

If you or your travel agent want(s) to pre-purchase a ticket, do so via https://www.ns.nl/en - plan a journey and click "Buy e-ticket". You can pay with creditcard (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX).

 

[Class800]

All booked now with e-ticket thanks. Says supplement for IC Direct, but most if not all trains seem just IC on that route anyway

 

[30907]

All booked now with e-ticket thanks. Says supplement for IC Direct, but most if not all trains seem just IC on that route anyway

They are. ICD is Schipol-Rotterdam and beyond on the "high-speed" line.

 

[Class800]

That makes sense. My ticket included a specific note about this supplement, but it may be generated on all Dutch itineraries!

 

[rvdborgt]

Point noted. Company policy is use our agent if we can; if not then use our company credit card; then only if can't then pay and claim expenses.

If your ticket agent can issue standard international tickets, then they should also be able to issue Schiphol-Utrecht that way, since that relation is included in the NS tables for international and foreign ticketing (NRT, formerly TCV). Price should be the same as a domestic online ticket.

 

[Class800]

yes it's done and worked fine

 

[DanielB]

That makes sense. My ticket included a specific note about this supplement, but it may be generated on all Dutch itineraries!

It is. I've kept a ticket Enschede - Gronau I once purchased, which states it includes an IC direct supplement and is not valid in Thalys and Eurostar .
So clearly a note which is printed on any paper- or e-ticket.

 

[Class800]

It is. I've kept a ticket Enschede - Gronau I once purchased, which states it includes an IC direct supplement and is not valid in Thalys and Eurostar .
So clearly a note which is printed on any paper- or e-ticket.

Mine makes the same 3 statements (but mine says IC Direct is an extra supplement). Not knowing Dutch rail network, I thought the IC Direct issue relating to my route! Thalys is Belgian I thought. And Eurostar yes I know

 

[rvdborgt]

Thalys is Belgian I thought.

Their headquarters are in Brussels, but they're mainly French. And they've been coming to Amsterdam since 1996.

 

[Class800]

One final thought from me. Not that I'd likely need it anyway, but I'm presuming - based on no return tickets etc, that you also can't benefit from break of journey?

 

[rvdborgt]

One final thought from me. Not that I'd likely need it anyway, but I'm presuming - based on no return tickets etc, that you also can't benefit from break of journey?

There's no relation between the availability of return tickets and the possibility to break your journey. You can break your journey anywhere you like on your route.

 

[Class800]

There's no relation between the availability of return tickets and the possibility to break your journey. You can break your journey anywhere you like on your route.

That's good to know - over here, the concepts have tended to be related

 

[Bemined]

If you break your journey (as in leaving the gateline of a station) for more than 35 minutes it does influence the price if you travel by ov-chipkaart or bankcard. The prices are not linear with the number of kilometres, the longer the journey the cheaper an extra kilometre becomes. Plus there is a price cap of €29,40 cap for a single journey (2nd class). If you reenter the gateline within 35 minutes you'll continue your current journey and your total journey will be slightly cheaper compares to breaking the journey for more than 35 minutes.

But Schiphol - Utrecht is nowhere near the price cap, you would need to go to Groningen or Maastricht to reach that.

 

[Class800]

I have an e-ticket.

 

[DanielB]

In that case, there is almost nothing preventing you from breaking your journey. Though do consider the rule that only routes given by the journey planner are allowed and breaking your journey is not allowed if you'd take a detour with less changes or a shorter journey time than the direct route.
Not really applicable to Schiphol - Utrecht however. Breaking at Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena or Amsterdam Zuid would be no problem, though travelling via Amsterdam Central would raise questions.

 

[Class800]

In that case, there is almost nothing preventing you from breaking your journey. Though do consider the rule that only routes given by the journey planner are allowed and breaking your journey is not allowed if you'd take a detour with less changes or a shorter journey time than the direct route.
Not really applicable to Schiphol - Utrecht however. Breaking at Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena or Amsterdam Zuid would be no problem, though travelling via Amsterdam Central would raise questions.

Good to note, I thought everything went through Amsterdam Central! I'd probably not break journey now and especially as time is short

 

[rvdborgt]

Good to note, I thought everything went through Amsterdam Central! I'd probably not break journey now and especially as time is short

The southern part of the Amsterdam ring line was completed in 1993... check out www.openrailwaymap.org.

 

[DanielB]

The southern part of the Amsterdam ring line was completed in 1993... check out www.openrailwaymap.org.

The Utrechtboog, which allowed the direct Schiphol - Utrecht services, was opened in 2006 however. Although journeys from Schiphol to Utrecht would go via the southern ring line already since 1997, when the interchange function of Duivendrecht became more important as it became a stop for all IC services.