Perhaps this will come as a surprise to some commuters in the Netherlands, but 90,5 percent of all Dutch trains were on time in 2017, so says track operator ProRail. This means that trains were delayed a maximum of three minutes. To compare, the punctuality norm is 88,5 percent.
Last year, 89,5 percent of Dutch trains were on time. This year, the number has gone up by a whole percent. According to ProRail, the percentage of trains leaving on time has never been higher.
“This is a real performance… there are few countries which can achieve this,” said ProRail director Pier Eringa to news agency ANP.
Regional trains, like Arriva and Connexxion, did even better; 93,9 percent left the station on time. The HSL (high-speed railway line) also beat the norm with 83,4 percent, with the norm being 82,5 percent.
Compared to other countries, the Netherlands scores well when it comes to the punctuality of its train services. In fact, according to the NS and ProRail, the Netherlands finds itself in the Top 3, along with Japan and Switzerland.
However, train tickets are more expensive in the Netherlands than in its surrounding countries, and the number of complaining travellers is higher as well.