At the station

The layout of the NS Ticket Machine is as follows. To the right side of the machine, you can find from top to bottom:

1. The machine number, also in Braille and relief (top right)
2. The keyboard and slot to insert your debit card for payment
3. The surface to hold your debit card against for contactless payment
4. The OV-chipkaart reader at hip height 

If you have problems using the NS Ticket Machine, and no NS staff are nearby, you can call our toll-free Customer Service number (0800-0540). The telephone number and the machine number are provided in Braille and raised numbers at the top right of the machine. You can choose to follow the assistant's instructions yourself or to leave the operation of the ticket machine to the assistant while you watch. Our assistants are standing by to help you all day, every day.

Every station in the Netherlands is equipped with ProRail guide lines to ticket machines, the OV Service & Tickets shops and the check-in posts or gates. There are also raised signs on the stairway handrails to the platforms, and all check-in gates and posts are equipped with Braille pictograms for the visually impaired. 

To help you prepare for your journey, you can request the walking routes from the station entrance to your departure platform (or vice-versa) via the page on guide lines. If you plan your journey using the NS Travel Planner at ns.nl, you can also request the walking routes as part of your travel recommendation. Simply click on the three dots next to the station name in your travel recommendation and select 'Find guide lines'.

All of the information you need about guide lines at stations is available on the ProRail website.

Tactile station maps for travellers with a visual impairment are available at the OV Service & Tickets shops at the following stations in the Netherlands:

• Amsterdam Centraal
• Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena
• Amsterdam Sloterdijk
• Arnhem Centraal
• Den Bosch
• Den Haag Centraal
• Leiden
• Rotterdam Centraal
• Utrecht Centraal
• Zwolle

You can also order a free home version using the contact form on the ProRail website..

If you'd like to know more, ProRail explains the tactile floor plans on their website.

Service assistants are present at several of the major stations to answer any questions you may have and to offer assistance if necessary. You can also find Service and Alarm posts at the station or on the platform at smaller stations. You can use these posts to ask for information 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

The Service and Alarm post has two buttons:

• a blue service button (the top button)
• a red alarm button (SOS) (the bottom button)

These buttons are also marked in Braille. The speaker and microphone is wheelchair accessible.

With '1 Stap Verder', we offer travellers with visual impairment guidance to their connecting transportation upon arrival at one of the stations listed below. The travel assistant will guide you to the correct bus, tram or metro stop, the official taxi row, or the pick-up and drop-off lane at the station. 

You can request the 1 Stap Verder service by telephone via NS Customer Service (030 2357822) for the following stations:

• Utrecht Centraal
• Zwolle
• Den Haag Centraal 
• Amsterdam Centraal
• Rotterdam Centraal

Several facilities are available aboard the train for travellers with a visual impairment, such as an SOS button or raised information signs.