User-friendly travel information

NS aims to give passengers more control over their door-to-door journey and more freedom of choice, irrespective of the means of transport or the carrier. High-quality travel information plays a key role here. ‘User-friendly travel information’ is a performance indicator we use to show the extent to which passengers have been provided with correct and timely information about platform changes, delays and train cancellations, and whether they received timely advice on alternative routes in the case of serious delays.

Good travel information is particularly crucial when a journey plays out differently due to an unexpected event, such as a disruption or withdrawal. Travel information has to be correct and up to date, so that passengers can make better choices both before and during their journey. Every year, NS sends millions of travel advice messages about rail travel, trackwork and disruptions.

Since 2023, passengers have been able to find additional information on our travel information boards, for example about the length of the train, the direction of travel and, if applicable, train sections that will remain at the station or be added. This allows passengers to line up better on the platform and board faster. Our evaluation shows this additional information has been successful. For international trains, all platform displays now show which letter signs the train will stop at, plus the relevant carriage numbers.
Furthermore, last year we added public transport bicycles, GreenWheels and TIER electric share bikes to ‘In de Buurt’, the map feature in the NS App and on the NS website. The NS travel planner has been expanded to include public transport bicycles and – for business users – TIER electric share bikes.
Since 2023, the ‘Activate notifications’ feature in the NS App provides transfer recommendations and notifications if passengers are likely to have to stand due to crowding. A pilot is also underway at six stations to guide users to parts of the train where they are most likely to find a seat.