Station development

Stations are a crucial link in passengers' journeys from door to door. Our efforts are focused on making the journey to and from the station and time spent at the station as pleasant and convenient as possible. For example, we provide a diverse range of shops and facilities at our stations to cater to passengers' needs. Our goal is for customers to feel that travel time is an enjoyable time out for themselves.

NS Stations operates, develops and manages more than 400 stations in the Netherlands. Cleaning, maintenance and safety are important factors here, as well as finding the best possible balance between walking routes, service and facilities at and around the station. After all, the station has much more to offer than just being a place to catch the train.

The construction of the High-speed Rail Line (HSL) was a good reason to boost the quality of a number of stations that would be served by the HSL. The Government therefore decided to approve the renovation of the stations of Utrecht Centraal, Rotterdam Centraal, Den Haag Centraal, Breda, Arnhem Centraal and Amsterdam-Zuid. These projects will be known as the New Key Projects (NSP). Because these stations are of national importance, the Government is investing more than €1 billion in the projects.

More travellers, larger stations

Increasing passenger numbers was also a good reason for making a significant investment in new stations in the Netherlands. The large stations in the Netherlands are no longer capable of handling large numbers of passengers. Passenger needs have also changed. Specifically, passengers want to have a pleasant and comfortable experience at the station, and the availability of varied and comprehensive services and shops responds to this need. The ability to transfer easily to other types of public transport at the station is also becoming more important.

The Government is also investing in renovations at many other stations in the Netherlands, such as Amsterdam Centraal, Delft, Eindhoven Centraal, Tilburg, Zwolle, Alkmaar, Alkmaar Noord, Heerlen, Groningen, Assen and Ede-Wageningen. ProRail is commissioning the renovations of the large stations on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and often also on behalf of the municipality or province in which the station is located. As owners of the stations, NS Stations and ProRail are closely involved in their redevelopment. 

If you would like to know more about the stations that are to be renovated, visit the NS Stations website.

NS Stations has its own shops at the stations: Kiosk, Julia’s, AH to go and StationsHuiskamers. We do our best to closely align the range of shops we provide to the needs of people who are travelling.

In the past, almost no market players were willing to do business at stations, but there are now many small and large market players with the experience, knowledge and scope to run retail operations at stations. This offers the opportunity for other parties to take responsibility for part of these operations.

Stations also have space for local tenants, such as florists, catering companies or tenants with their own retail formula, such as Leonidas or Döner Company. Accordingly, NS Stations can provide a varied range of shops that caters to the desires of the passengers.

The shops give the station a feeling of safety and comfort, convenience and certainty in a hectic environment, but also contribute atmosphere and amusement.

NS owns a large number of historic buildings, from station buildings, signal towers and industrial workshops to platform structures and water towers. We consider this cultural heritage to be an opportunity to create aesthetically pleasing station areas.

Historic buildings are often important in creating a pleasant atmosphere. We therefore strive to include our cultural heritage in the plans for redevelopment of the station areas. In so doing, the building or structure becomes an icon of the area, and it can serve in a new function for many years to come.