As of Wednesday, April 19, passengers taking the train between Amsterdam and Rotterdam could very well find themselves travelling via Nederlandse Spoorwegen’s (NS) brand-new Intercity. Nicknamed “The Wasp” (de Wesp), NS has dubbed the Intercity the “train of the future”.
While the train is still only running on a trial basis, the Intercity New Generation (ICNG) has been rolled out as part of the NS fleet and the latest rail operator’s timetable. Passengers will be able to board the new train, allowing NS to “test how the train performs in practice,” and make changes as and where necessary.
For now, anyone hopping on a high-speed Intercity Direct at Amsterdam Centraal with an end destination of Rotterdam Centraal could find themselves travelling on new brand new ICNG, but once the current trial period is over the train will also be running along routes between The Hague and Eindhoven, Amsterdam and Brussels, Amsterdam and Groningen / Leeuwarden, and Amsterdam and Enschede.
It’s taken NS about seven years to get to this stage, and while the company acknowledges that the train isn’t “technically perfect” yet, NS chief Wouter Koolmees is excited about the new addition to the fleet: “[The ICNG] will offer travellers more seats and more comfort in the future… and will symbolise all the good that the Netherlands has to offer by train. That is a sustainable, comfortable and fast journey between Dutch regions and beyond."
Currently, 99 INCGs are in the works for NS, all of which can reach speeds of up to 200 kilometres an hour. The trains are also kitted out with WiFi, USB ports and plug sockets in both first and second class, and wheelchair-accessible toilets. More ICNGs will be rolled out over the course of the coming weeks and months, and the rail operator plans to eventually replace all current Intercitys with The Wasp.
Thumb and images via Nederlandse Spoorwegen.