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60-541: The Trans Europ Express , or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), was an international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network comprised 45 trains, connecting 130 different cities, from Spain in the west to Austria in the east, and from Denmark to Southern Italy. The first services commenced on 2 June 1957 following an idea of F.Q. den Hollander, then president-director of

120-522: A 1966 film by French director Alain Robbe-Grillet , starring Jean-Louis Trintignant . Nederlandse Spoorwegen Nederlandse Spoorwegen ( Dutch: [ˈneːdərlɑntsə ˈspoːrˌʋeːɣə(n)] ; English: "Dutch Railways" ; NS ) is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands . It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is

180-819: A train with a toilet is used, every newly ordered train has a toilet and in 2025 every train has to have a toilet. The last trains on the hoofdrailnet without a toilet were the NS SGMm (the so-called classical "Sprinter", retired 2018–21) and the Sprinter Lighttrain (SLT, these trains have since had on-board toilets retrofitted ). NS provides three kinds of train service: There are also two former train categories, which are now used only by private operators: You can travel using contactless payments on all Dutch public transport: on all domestic trains, metros, trams and busses, nationwide. Using contactless payments, you travel 2nd class, regular full price. The price

240-530: A consequence of personnel shortages. NS has been involved in various controversies. The NS covers most of the country, with almost all cities connected, mostly with a service frequency of two trains an hour or more and at least four trains per hour between all of the largest five cities ( Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague , Utrecht and Eindhoven ) as well as some smaller cities ( Nijmegen , Amersfoort , Arnhem , 's-Hertogenbosch , Dordrecht and Leiden ). From December 2008 train frequencies were increased on

300-416: A different organ in the company The freight business, NS Cargo, merged with Deutsche Bahn ; the resulting company operated as Railion in 2000 and then as DB Cargo . Performance deteriorated after the reforms, and the company suffered multiple unorganized strikes. The entire board of directors resigned in late-2001. Another change in strategy followed. Karel Noordzij became CEO in 2002 and reversed many of

360-472: A few domestic trains operating entirely within France until 1 June 1991. In September 1993 certain former TEE trains operating non-stop journeys between Brussels and Paris (or vice versa), which had been converted to EuroCity and offered both first- and second-class coaches, were rebranded as Trans-Europe Expresses, but remaining two-class trains. This was during a transition of Paris–Brussels express services to

420-547: A mostly steam locomotive -hauled Rapide ( express train ) between Paris-Gare de Lyon and Marseille-Saint-Charles . Two years later, in 1952, its route was extended to Nice-Ville . By 1965, when it was integrated into the Trans Europ Express (TEE) system, it had become completely electric locomotive-hauled. In the 1970s, Le Mistral included some unique amenities, among them a "bookstall, bar and hairdressing salon". The train also had two restaurant cars;

480-516: A new TGV alignment, and initially included the trains Brabant , Île de France , Rubens and Watteau , all four serving the route in both directions. However, by 1995 the only TEE-branded trains remaining were the northbound Île de France (train 85) and southbound Watteau (train 88), the opposing-direction trains carrying the same names having already been converted to TGV stock (and designation), and these last two TEEs were replaced by TGV trains with effect from 29 May 1995, once again ending

540-520: A new Trans Europe Express TEE 2.0 network. Proposed routes in the short term include: Proposed daytime high-speed TEE 2.0 routes following the completion of new lines include: There are also proposals for night train networks proposed in the short-term which are remarkably similar to Deutsche Bahn 's former City Night Line network, which DB discontinued in 2016. Most of the routes in the short-term network are currently operated by Austrian Federal Railways ( ÖBB ) as part of its Nightjet network although

600-526: A new international intercity network with the name EuroCity which provides both 1st and 2nd class service. The EuroCity network began operating on 31 May 1987, and with effect from that date the last remaining international Trans-Europe Express trains were redesignated or withdrawn, except the Gottardo (reclassified as EuroCity in September 1988), but in name, the TEE designation continued to be used for

660-424: A proposed Frankfurt – Lyon – Barcelona service would offer a direct rail services that has not been possible for many decades. Overnight routes proposed in the longer term include two routes from Stockholm, one serving both Amsterdam and Paris, the other running via Prague to Vienna and Budapest. In May 2021, TRANSPORT ministers from multiple European Union (EU) member states have signed a letter of intent to create

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720-585: A revival of a pre-World War II train). The network was launched in 1957 with trains serving 13 different routes. Initially, the system was a completely diesel network. Because of the many different kinds of electrical specifications (voltages and current types – alternating current and direct current ) used in the different countries it was thought at that time that use of diesel-hauled trains or diesel multiple-unit trainsets would greatly speed up border crossing. Moreover, at that time many border crossing sections were not yet electrified . The German DB built

780-536: A single day and also have time for business activity at the destination. Each train was named, and all were expresses, stopping only at major cities. Some of the named trains had already existed for some years before creation of the TEE network and were simply newly designated as Trans-Europe Expresses in 1957 or later. For example, the Settebello had been in operation since 1953 and the Rheingold since 1951 (as

840-465: A smartphone with a timetable , fares information, and a separate card reader to read the OV-chipkaart . Train drivers use a tablet with an app called "TimTim" to save energy and keep up with the timetable. The train driver can also see other trains in front or behind their train. In 2018, NS saw its number of passengers increase by nearly 3 percent. On average, 1.3 million people took the train on

900-564: A surcharge of €1. They are a disposable use-once only. It is possible to buy e-tickets online on the Dutch Railways website. E-tickets can also be purchased on the Belgian NMBS/SNCB B -Europe website. For long-term use, season tickets are available. Travelling with these cards and tickets, one has to register starting a journey ( check-in ) and ending it ( check out ) at the destination. One always has to travel away from

960-693: A weekday, 100.000 more than in 2016 and the over 250 NS train stations are becoming increasingly crowded. Also see List of busiest railway stations in The Netherlands Le Mistral (train) The train was named after the Mistral , a strong, cold and usually dry regional wind blowing from north or northwestern France to the coast of the Mediterranean around the Camargue region. The Mistral began its existence in 1950 as

1020-432: Is a widened letter 'N' and a sideways (reversed) 'S'-shape. The two arrows in the logo represent the train's movement, and the two lines in the middle represent the track. In dealing with the general public, these distinctions are not made and the terms Nederlandse Spoorwegen and NS are used. NS has contracts with Connexxion and BBA, now Veolia Transport for the provision of bus services to replace train services in

1080-528: Is also a partner (along with Stena Line and British railway company Greater Anglia ) in the Dutchflyer service. NS has also entered into a partnership with KLM to operate services on the new HSL-Zuid under the name Intercity Direct towards Breda and Brussels. Intercity Direct is part of NS International ; other services such as Eurostar to France and Intercity-Express to Germany and Switzerland are also part of NS International. The hoofdrailnet

1140-544: Is the official core internal passenger rail network of the Netherlands. Currently, NS has a concession until 1 January 2034 to provide all passenger services on this network, except that on some stretches there is an overlap with lines for which other operators have a concession. Some of the most notable of these stretches are those from Elst railway station to Arnhem Centraal railway station , where NS shares tracks with Arriva , and further on to Arnhem Velperpoort . Here

1200-448: Is the same as using the anonymous ov-chipcard (see below). You do not need an app or ticket, nor do you have to register or signup to use this. Apple Pay, Google Pay and many contactless debit and credit cards can directly be used. Travelling using contactless works as following: At the start of your journey, place your smartphone or bank card in front of the reader to check-in. At the end of your journey, or if you transfer, check-out at

1260-499: Is unclear. A proposed network published after the conference has been expanded compared with the earlier iteration, which was centred on central Europe. It now includes routes that can be achieved relatively simply such as Barcelona – Nice – Venice as well as others such as Warsaw – Riga – Tallinn that rely on major new infrastructure projects now underway, in this case Rail Baltica , which is due to open in 2026. Some existing high frequency international links have also been included at

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1320-531: The Wagons-Lits Company provided the on-board catering. In 1975, a writer for Fodor's called Le Mistral "perhaps the most luxurious train in Europe". The train's final day as a TEE was 26 September 1981, as the next day saw the introduction of the first TGV service in France, in that same corridor , and the downgrading of Le Mistral to a two-class "Rapide" train, albeit continuing to use

1380-589: The streamlined DB Class VT 11.5 , while the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and the Dutch NS developed the RAm / DE , both diesel trains. However, the creation of the international TEE network provided impetus for the development of special electric trainsets and electric locomotives , capable of operating at two or more different voltages. The DB used the 160 km/h (99 mph) E 10.12 and

1440-417: The 1991 EU Directive 91/440 ; the latter required railway infrastructure and transport activities to be managed independently. Although the state called the process " corporatization " ( verzelfstandiging ), it really only meant the withdrawal of subsidies. The changes were carried out by Rob den Besten, who became chief executive officer of NS after the retirement of Leo Ploeger. NS' infrastructure division

1500-655: The 200 km/h (120 mph) DB Class 103 , among other types. The SBB developed its RAe TEE II electric trainset, which was designed for four different railway electrification systems , and this type entered service in 1961. Belgian National Railways introduced its Type 150 locomotives (now called Class 15 ) in 1962, capable of handling three different voltages, followed by the four-voltage Type 160 ( Class 16 ) in 1966 and Class 18 in 1973. Meanwhile, France's SNCF also developed and introduced ten quadruple-voltage locomotives, its Class CC 40100 , between 1964 and 1970. By 1975, all but two ( L'Arbalète and Bavaria ) of

1560-660: The 43 TEE trains were electrically powered, and most were locomotive-hauled. Originally the idea was to promote only international routes as TEE routes. This idea was abandoned in 1965 with the introduction of the French Le Mistral and the German Blauer Enzian . Later, TEE trains serving single countries were also introduced on other routes in France and Germany as well as in Italy, but most TEE routes continued to be international. The network grew in

1620-521: The Dutch national railway company ( NS ). TEE was a network jointly operated by the railways of West Germany ( DB ), France ( SNCF ), Switzerland ( SBB-CFF-FFS ), Italy ( FS ) and the Netherlands . Although some trains passed through Belgium from the beginning, the Belgian national railway company ( NMBS/SNCB ) joined the program only in 1964. Luxembourg ( CFL ) also joined at a later date. The idea

1680-461: The Netherlands to other European destinations and carries out concessions on some foreign rail markets through its subsidiary Abellio . World War I caused an economic downturn in the Netherlands that caused the two largest Dutch railway companies, Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM) and Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (SS), to become unprofitable. The companies avoided bankruptcy by integrating their operations, which

1740-544: The Paris–Brussels route had four TEEs, running at different times of the day. From the late 1970s onward, gradually more and more Trans-Europe Express trains were replaced by other trains giving a similar kind of service but also carrying 2nd class . Business travellers used air travel more and more. In 1979 DB completely restructured the network with the coming of the new national InterCity services, resulting in successively fewer TEE services and more InterCity services in

1800-601: The Trans-Europe Express (TEE) 2.0 network first announced in September 2020 during the German presidency of the EU. The Agreement includes the development of a regular interval timetable. Member states will also identify operators interested in taking part. The signing took place during a conference organised by German federal transport minister, Mr Andreas Scheuer, on 17 May, and includes a number of pledges which expand

1860-472: The busiest in the European Union , and the third busiest in the world after Switzerland and Japan . The rail infrastructure is maintained by network manager ProRail , which was split off from NS in 2003. Freight operator NS Cargo merged with DB Cargo in 2000. NS runs 4,800 scheduled domestic trains a day, serving 1.1 million passengers. The NS also provides international rail services from

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1920-530: The case of planned and unplanned cancellations. On 23 July 2010 NS sold Strukton to the construction company Oranjewoud N.V.. This concluded a long history of planning, designing and executing track development done by the NS. There is a delay refund scheme entitling passengers to a partial or full refund of the ticket price if a journey is delayed by half an hour or more. The scheme does not apply on short-distance journeys (tickets less than €2.30) and cases in which

1980-471: The centre and the east, Veolia on the 'Maaslijn' and 'Heuvellandlijn' in the southeast, Arriva in the north and most of the east of the country and on the ' Merwede-Lingelijn ' (from Dordrecht to Geldermalsen). The OV-chipkaart is also used on buses and trams, where hourly tickets are for sale for those who have too little credit to travel but enough cash. NS defines off-peak hours as weekdays from 09:00–16:00 and 18:30–06:30, and on Saturdays and Sundays

2040-479: The company's CEO is former minister Wouter Koolmees , after Marjan Rintel left to become CEO of KLM . NS was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic , which caused massive drops in passenger numbers. The company received significant financial support from the national government in order to keep the company solvent. In 2022, the company made significant cuts in its timetable, running fewer and shorter trains, as

2100-583: The cost of the scheme is paid by ProRail, since they are responsible for part of the delays. Tobacco smoking is prohibited both on trains and in stations. Smoking on trains has been prohibited since 2004, with smoking in stations permitted in designated smoking zones, until this too was disallowed in October 2020. Since June 2003, the sale of coffee , soft drinks , beer , sandwiches , candy , etc., has ceased aboard domestic trains. The increasing number of Servex convenience stores at railway stations and

2160-466: The course of the years, adding three more countries: Spain ( Renfe ), Denmark ( DSB ) and Austria ( ÖBB ). The system reached furthest in 1974. However, of these three only Renfe became a TEE member; the other two countries had TEEs running through them but the rail administrations were never members. In the late 1970s, the TEE network comprised 39 different named trains, serving 31 routes. A few routes had more than one TEE train concurrently; for example,

2220-474: The course of time. The introduction of the TGV service in France in 1981, and its subsequent expansion, along with expansion of high-speed rail lines in other European countries led to still more TEEs' being replaced by domestic high-speed trains. After 1984 most services were abandoned, leaving only some national services in (mostly) Italy and France and very few international services. Most trains were replaced by

2280-505: The delay is the result of planned cancellations that were announced some days in advance. Refunds are, in general, half the ticket price of a one-way trip after a delay of over 30 minutes, and the full ticket price after a delay of one hour or more. That applies to nearly all kinds of tickets. The refund is not considered monetary compensation for lost time but rather as a reduction in charges where poor service has been provided. The system has been improved for holders of some rail passes. Part of

2340-417: The development of timetables. They also vow to support the creation of an interoperable digital booking platform which supports booking international journeys offered by TEE 2.0 operators, which should be as straightforward as domestic journeys. How such a system would deal with the domestic parts of journeys to or from the high-speed rail network, and how third-party rail ticket sales websites might be included,

2400-457: The discovery of a gas field near Slochteren led to coal losing market share to natural gas in power plants and homes. NS' response, the Spoorslag '70 plan which increased service and introduced intercity service, failed to restore profitability. The company was deemed nationally important and received state subsidies . NS was reorganized following the neoliberal reforms of the 1980s and

2460-433: The distinction of being the train with the "world's fastest schedule for [a route of] over 500 miles", averaging 120.2 kilometres per hour (74.7 mph) on its 861.6-kilometre (535.4 mi) Paris – Marseille section. Slower speeds on the more "rugged country" between Marseille and Nice brought the average speed down to 104.9 kilometres per hour (65.2 mph) over the full 1,086 km route from Paris to Nice, which

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2520-617: The following services: Arnhem–Nijmegen (8 trains per hour) and The Hague–Rotterdam (12 trains per hour), Amsterdam Centraal–Hoofddorp (16 trains per hour). A night train service was added between Utrecht, Gouda and Rotterdam. Trains usually run between 5:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. although there is also a nightline which connects major cities in the Randstad throughout the night, as well as in weekends also some major cities in North Brabant . In addition to its domestic services, NS

2580-486: The formal use of the Trans-Europ Express name. These few Paris–Brussels (or vice versa) expresses, operated 1993–1995, were the only TEE-designated trains ever to carry second-class carriages (they were in effect EuroCity services). A few trains continued to utilise TEE branded coaches until 1 June 1996, but the trains themselves were no longer classified as TEEs. In September 2020, Germany made proposals for

2640-575: The graphic design company Tel Design. Introduced in that same year, it replaced an earlier design which had been used since 1946. The logo, pervasive within trains and railway stations in the Netherlands, plays a significant part in Nederlandse Spoorwegen 's signage, promotions, advertising, and graphic design. The logo usually appears in blue or black on a dark yellow or white background. Since its introduction, NS livery has also had this same distinct dark yellow or white colour. The logo

2700-649: The initial TEE 2.0 concept. The agreement foresees the development of a regular interval timetable on a pan-European basis to provide an alternative to short-haul flights and car journeys. The original German proposal for the TEE 2.0 concept assumes: While the letter of intent is not legally binding, the signatories agree to identify which railway operators from their respective countries want to be involved in delivering future TEE 2.0 services. They also pledged to act as facilitators to ensure that rail operators and infrastructure managers in neighbouring countries make meaningful progress in developing TEE 2.0 plans. In addition,

2760-412: The main stations have to be served at least twice an hour per direction from 6 a.m. to midnight and the other stations at least once an hour. Exceptions are possible until the start of the next concession. The next concession period is 2025–2035. For the 2015–2025 concession, requirements include: for every train service where on average more than one-third of the passengers travel longer than 30 minutes,

2820-453: The point of one's latest check-in. Thus, in the case of a voluntary detour, one has to check out and check in to register starting a new journey. Travellers need to be aware of the various companies other than the Nederlandse Spoorwegen . One needs to check out with one company and check in with another on some stations. There is common tariff system with four smaller passenger train operating companies: Keolis Nederland and Connexxion in

2880-535: The reforms to restore confidence in the company. The state no longer considered competitive passenger service to be viable, and began granting concessions with the goal of one concession per line. NS received a concession to run main line routes until 2025. The timetable change on 10 December 2006 saw the most routes to approximate the symmetry minute in clock-face schedules to the one used in most other European countries. The previous symmetry minute 46 led to problems with cross-border trains. As of December 2022

2940-548: The relatively short duration of most train journeys in the Netherlands have lowered the demand for on-train services. In 2005, a much reduced in-train service of drinks and small snacks has been reintroduced on longer journeys. Now, the RailTender service primarily operates in the intercity trains on the trajectory between Utrecht and Zwolle/Eindhoven, Zwolle and Almere, 's-Hertogenbosch and Nijmegen, Apeldoorn and Amersfoort, Rotterdam and Breda/Roosendaal/Antwerp. Conductors have

3000-529: The request of EU member states, including Amsterdam – London route serving non-EU member, Britain. Separately, as part of the conference, Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the future expansion of the Berlin – Dresden – Prague – Vienna Via Vindobona international connection. The declaration outlines the planned high-speed line and other infrastructure plans for

3060-479: The route. The railway service was the subject of a 1977 album by German electronic music group Kraftwerk , the music of which has been sampled multiple times and has thus ingrained the railway reference in a variety of musical genres. One of the locations from the 1992 video game Earnest Evans is based on a train using the Trans Europ Express. Trans-Europ Express also provides the title of

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3120-472: The same first-class coaches for the train's first-class section. Le Mistral was discontinued entirely in 1982, after being replaced by TGV service. Still steam -hauled in 1964, the Mistral was one of the fastest trains in France, with an average speed of 132.8 kilometres per hour (82.5 mph) on the 314.1-kilometre (195.2 mi) Paris – Dijon section, as well as an average speed of 129 km/h on its Valence – Avignon section. It also had

3180-447: The same way. If you use a bank card, be sure to remove it from your wallet, to ensure that the system uses the right card. The costs will be shown in your bank transfer statement the next day, along with a website link and code to get your travel itinerary. The OV-chipkaart is another common form of fare payment. Single or return tickets, used by incidental travellers and tourists, are available at ticket machines and service counters at

3240-516: The signatories agreed to request that the European Commission (EC) propose the launch of an EU financial assistance programme to invest in rolling stock that can operate across borders. They also agreed to lobby for further technical and operational improvements to facilitate the operation of cross-border rail services. Under the new agreement, and to support the prospective operators, the EU member states promise to act as moderators in

3300-453: The tracks are shared by three operators, as Breng, ultimately part of Transdev , operates there in addition to the two previously mentioned operators. Officially the overlaps do not constitute competition on the same lines. The concession was free of charge until 2009, and costs an increasing amount since then, up to €30 million for the year 2014. The concession distinguishes the main stations and other stations. Except on New Year's Eve ,

3360-413: The whole day. Therefore, the full fare is required on weekdays 06:30–09:00 and 16:00–18:30. With an OV-chipkaart that allows for a discount or free travel, one is automatically granted the discount or free travel at the time of checking in. There are several season tickets available that suit individual preferences. The NS corporate logo was designed in 1968 by Gert Dumbar and Gert-Jan Leuvelink, both of

3420-529: Was complete by 1917. The cooperation was for both economic and ideological reasons, and the state provided support by buying shares in both companies. In 1938, the state bought the remaining shares and merged the companies to create NS; NS was not nationalised . During World War II , NS was forced by the Germans to construct railways to Westerbork transit camp and transport almost a hundred thousand Jews to extermination camps . The company's only wartime strike

3480-550: Was during the Dutch famine of 1944–45 ; NS opted not to strike a year earlier. NS played a pivotal role in the post-war reconstruction of the Netherlands; it provided the required logistical services in a time when there was little alternative to rail transport. The company declined in the 1960s – like many other railways – and operated at a loss. There was increased competition from other modes of transport. In addition, national coal distribution from Limburg became less profitable;

3540-432: Was for a network of fast and comfortable transnational trains that would be attractive to businessmen and other regular travellers. All trains were first-class -only and required payment of a special supplement over the normal first-class ticket price, the amount of which depended on the distance covered. Where possible, TEE trains' schedules were timed to allow a business traveller to make a round trip (return journey) within

3600-425: Was split off into NS Railinfratrust . Plans to split the remainder of NS met with limited success due to trade union opposition; the new companies created were NS Reizigers and locomotive maintenance company NedTrain . Passenger transport was to be conducted on a commercial basis, but the state continued to subsidize non-viable routes. Internally, route managers assumed de facto control, but they were dependent on

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