“Almost” – because the Dutch often berate it and consider it almost a national disaster. Indeed, occasionally trains break down, and this can lead either to a traffic stop on some sections or to delays. Delays of 5-20 minutes occur once every week or two. In five months, I encountered a situation where traffic was stopped completely only once.
Otherwise, the transportation system is very convenient. The railroad connects all cities in the country and the trains pass by at intervals of about every 15 minutes. The trains themselves are new, clean and comfortable, and there is wi-fi on board the Intercity. The payment system is beyond praise. Wherever you are in the country and whatever mode of transport you use, you can pay with a single transport card.
From my own experience: at a party in Rotterdam guys from The Hague, Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Utrecht gather, and around midnight they go home – the ride does not take longer than an hour.
A wide range of subscriptions (a kind of pass) is available for residents of the country. For example, my wife and I for about € 60 per month enjoy unlimited travel on all railroads in the country at the weekend and get a 40% discount for us and our eight friends on weekdays outside rush hour. By comparison, it costs €52 for two people to go roundtrip from The Hague to Amsterdam at full fare.
The transport accessibility of the cities means that people often move between them – because of work, meetings or simply in search of a cultural experience at the weekend. From my own experience: at a party in Rotterdam guys from The Hague, Eindhoven, Amsterdam, Utrecht gather, and around midnight they go home – it’s not longer than an hour.
