NS timetable change: dienstregeling 2027 starts 13 December 2026

Dutch rail switches to its 2027 timetable on Sunday 13 December 2026. The timetable year begins at 00:00 that day and runs through Saturday 11 December 2027, a validity period fixed in infrastructure manager ProRail’s network statement.

Why it matters

The December switch is the one date on which journey times, connections and frequencies change across the whole national network at once. NS presents the 2027 plan as delivering better connections above all in the north and east of the country, and it carries a visible novelty: from this timetable, every NS train line gets a line number for the first time, and NS is running a public design search for the new line map.

What changes on 13 December

• The direct intercity between Groningen and Rotterdam returns, routed over the high-speed line via Lelystad.
• Enschede regains a direct intercity to Amsterdam Centraal as a peak-hour train.
• The ten-minute sprinter between Utrecht Centraal and Houten Castellum returns in peak hours, Monday to Thursday, coupled to the Utrecht to Leiden sprinter.
• The ten-minute train between Amsterdam and Eindhoven is extended to Fridays.
• Weekends get three intercities per hour between Amersfoort and Deventer instead of two.
• Peak sprinters are extended to Veenendaal Centrum, Sunday sprinters between Den Haag and Dordrecht double from two to four per hour, and the weekend intercity between Den Haag Centraal and Amsterdam Centraal adds stops at Voorhout and Hillegom, alongside extra early and late weekend intercities between Amsterdam and Den Haag.

Practical information

There is nothing to book: the new timetable applies automatically from the first train on 13 December 2026. Check the NS journey planner for the exact times on your route around the changeover, since departure minutes can shift even on lines without headline changes.

Common questions

When does the 2027 timetable start?

On Sunday 13 December 2026 at 00:00. It runs through Saturday 11 December 2027.

What is the biggest change?

The return of two direct intercity links: Groningen to Rotterdam over the high-speed line via Lelystad, and Enschede to Amsterdam Centraal in the peak. NS itself frames the 2027 plan as improving connections mainly in the north and east.

What are the new line numbers?

From dienstregeling 2027, all NS train lines carry a number for the first time. NS announced the introduction in June 2026 and is holding a public design search for the accompanying line map.

Why does the timetable change in December?

The timetable year is set nationally in ProRail’s network statement. The 2027 year is defined as Sunday 13 December 2026 through Saturday 11 December 2027.