The Amsterdam–Arnhem railway or Rhijnspoorweg is an important Dutch railway line, that connects Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

 with Utrecht

Utrecht (city)

Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...

 and Arnhem

Arnhem

Arnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...

, The Netherlands and also into Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

History

The railway was opened in serveral stages by the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij (NRS) between 18 December 1843 and 15 February 1856, with construction starting in 1843. The line was electrified in 1938 between Amsterdam and Arnhem and in 1966 between Arnhem and Elten. The line has been heavily rebuilt between Amsterdam Bijmer Arena and Utrecht Centraal to increase its capacity, which started in 1999 and finished in 2008.

Route

The line leaves Amsterdam in an easterly direction with the line to Amersfoort, which leaves at Amsterdam Muiderpoort

Amsterdam Muiderpoort railway station

Amsterdam Muiderpoort is a railway station in the east of Amsterdam. It was re-opened on 15 October 1939 after being first opened in 1896. It is located 4 km southeast of Amsterdam Centraal. At this station the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway and the Amsterdam–Zutphen railway split, with the two...

, the line then continues in a southerly direction and shortly before arriving at Amsterdam Amstel

Amsterdam Amstel railway station

Amsterdam Amstel is a railway station in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 15 October 1939. It is located south west of the station Amsterdam Centraal...

, the metro

Amsterdam Metro

The Amsterdam Metro is a mixed rapid transit and light rail system in Amsterdam, and its surrounding municipalities Amstelveen, Diemen, and Ouder-Amstel in the Netherlands. The network is owned by the city of Amsterdam and operated by the Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf, the company that also operates...

 lines 51, 53 and 54 operate between the line. Duivendrecht

Duivendrecht railway station

The Duivendrecht railway station is a combined rail and metro station in Duivendrecht, Netherlands. The station opened in May 1993 as part of the extension of the Zuidtak of the Amsterdam Ringspoorbaan, between Amsterdam RAI and Weesp....

 is a bi-level station with the Schiphollijn

Schiphollijn

The Weesp–Leiden railway is a railway line in the Netherlands which runs between the cities of Weesp and Leiden; the line also passes through and serves Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.-History:...

 operating below. Freight lines from the Weesp direction join and the Utrecht Curve from Schiphol joins the line. At Amsterdam Holendrecht

Amsterdam Holendrecht railway station

Amsterdam Holendrecht is a railway station, in Amsterdam Zuidoost , the Netherlands.The station opened on 14 December 2008. Before that date Holendrecht was just a Metro station on the Amsterdam Metro network. The station was opened on 16 October 1977 as a metro station and is now served by two...

 the metro lines 50 and 54 leave towards the east. The line continues travelling through the countryside and a few towns towards Utrecht, often running parallel to the Amsterdam–Rhine Canal. At Breukelen the line to Gouda

Gouda railway station

Gouda is a railway station in Gouda, The Netherlands. The station opened on 21 May 1855 when the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij opened the Utrecht–Rotterdam railway...

 leaves the line. On approaching Utrecht Centraal the lines from Rotterdam

Rotterdam Centraal railway station

Rotterdam Centraal is the main railway station of the city Rotterdam in the Netherlands.-History:The station opened June 3, 1847 as the Delftsche Poort railway station. The station building designed by Sybold van Ravesteyn opened in 1957 and closed on September 2, 2007...

 and Amersfoort

Amersfoort railway station

Amersfoort railway station is the main railway station in Amersfoort, Utrecht, the Netherlands. The station is an important link between the central part of the Netherlands and the north and east of the country.-History:...

 join.

From Utrecht Centraal the line continues in an easterly direction, with the line from Hilversum

Hilversum railway station

Hilversum is a railway station in Hilversum, the Netherlands. It is located approximately southeast of Amsterdam. It is on the Amsterdam - Hilversum - Amersfoort main line, with a branch to Utrecht. There are two other stations in Hilversum: Hilversum Noord to the north, and Hilversum Sportpark to...

 joining and crossing over, with the line to 's-Hertogenbosch

's-Hertogenbosch railway station

s-Hertogenbosch is a railway station located in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. The station and all services operating from it are run by Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the largest Dutch train operating company.-History:...

 leaving southwards. 7km east of Maarn

Maarn railway station

Maarn is a railway station in the centre of Maarn and next to the A12, The Netherlands. The station opened on 15 March 1845 and is located on the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway...

 the line to Rhenen

Rhenen railway station

Rhenen is a railway station located in Rhenen, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 18 February 1886 and is located on the Kesteren–Amersfoort railway . The services are currently operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen. The station closed on 17 September 1944 and reopened on 31 May 1981...

 leaves. At Ede-Wageningen

Ede-Wageningen railway station

Ede-Wageningen is a railway station located in Ede, the Netherlands. It is situated on the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway and the Nijkerk–Ede-Wageningen railway. The station is the main Intercity station, but is not in the centre of the town...

 the line

Valleilijn

The Nijkerk–Ede-Wageningen railway is a railway line in the Netherlands currently running from Barneveld to Ede-Wageningen. The part between Nijkerk and Barneveld has been demolished. It is also called the Valleilijn or Kippenlijn in Dutch.-The line:The Valleilijn is a single track line with...

 from Amersfoort

Amersfoort railway station

Amersfoort railway station is the main railway station in Amersfoort, Utrecht, the Netherlands. The station is an important link between the central part of the Netherlands and the north and east of the country.-History:...

 via Barneveld

Barneveld Centrum railway station

Barneveld Centrum is a railway station located in Barneveld, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 1 May 1902 and is located on the Valleilijn. The station closed on 7 September 1944 and re-opened 20 May 1951...

 joins. Shortly before arriving at Arnhem

Arnhem railway station

Arnhem is a railway station located in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 14 May 1845 and is located on the Rhijnspoorweg , the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway and the Arnhem–Nijmegen railway...

 the line from Nijmegen

Nijmegen railway station

Nijmegen is a railway station located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 9 August 1865 and is located on the Tilburg–Nijmegen railway, Nijmegen–Venlo railway and the Arnhem–Nijmegen railway...

 joins and after Arnhem Velperpoort

Arnhem Velperpoort railway station

Arnhem Velperpoort is a railway station located in Arnhem, The Netherlands. The station was opened on 1 October 1893, closed on 3 June 1918 and re-opened on 5 January 1953. It is located on the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway and the Oberhausen–Arnhem railway...

 the line

IJssellijn

The Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from Arnhem to Leeuwarden, passing through Deventer, Zwolle and Heerenveen. It is also called the Staatslijn A in Dutch. The part between Arnhem and Zwolle is sometimes called the IJssellijn .-History:The line opened...

 to Zutphen

Zutphen railway station

Zutphen is a railway station located in Zutphen, The Netherlands. The station was opened on 2 February 1865 and is located on the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway, Zutphen–Glanerbeek railway, Amsterdam–Zutphen railway and the Zutphen–Winterswijk railway...

 heads north-east. At Zevenaar

Zevenaar railway station

Zevenaar is a railway station located in Zevenaar, the Netherlands. The station was opened in 1856 and is located on the Winterswijk–Zevenaar railway and the Oberhausen–Arnhem railway...

, the line to Winterswijk

Winterswijk railway station

Winterswijk is a railway station in Winterswijk, The Netherlands. The station opened on 24 June 1878 and is located on the Zutphen–Winterswijk railway and the Winterswijk–Zevenaar railway. The services are operated by Syntus....

 leaves in a north-easterly direction, while the freight Betuweroute

Betuweroute

The Betuweroute is a double track freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany. Betuweroute is the official name, after the Betuwe area through which it passes, but the line is popularly referred to as Betuwelijn, after an older track in the same region. The Germans have named their part the...

 from Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...

 joins the line before continuing towards Germany. 4km later the line crosses the Dutch-German border and continues towards Emmerich, where the railway becomes the Emmerich-Oberhausen railway and continues east.

Main stations

The main stations on the Rhijnspoorweg railway are:

• Amsterdam Centraal railway station
• Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA railway station
  Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA railway station
  Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA is a railway station in the Bijlmermeer neighbourhood of the Amsterdam Zuidoost stadsdeel of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The station has five platforms and eight tracks; two for the Amsterdam Metro and six train tracks, along with a bus station.-History:Originally opened...
  
  
• Utrecht Centraal railway station
  Utrecht Centraal railway station
  Utrecht Centraal is the central railway station for the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. It is the largest railway station in the Netherlands in terms of size, with fourteen platforms With Utrecht being located centrally in the Netherlands, Utrecht Centraal is also the largest station in terms...
  
  
• Ede-Wageningen railway station
  Ede-Wageningen railway station
  Ede-Wageningen is a railway station located in Ede, the Netherlands. It is situated on the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway and the Nijkerk–Ede-Wageningen railway. The station is the main Intercity station, but is not in the centre of the town...
  
  
• Arnhem
  Arnhem railway station
  Arnhem is a railway station located in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 14 May 1845 and is located on the Rhijnspoorweg , the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway and the Arnhem–Nijmegen railway...
  
  
• Emmerich
  Emmerich railway station
  Emmerich is a railway station in Emmerich am Rhein, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-The Station:The station is located on the Arnhem-Oberhausen railway and is the first station after crossing the Dutch/German border...
  
  

Train Services

The Rhijnspoorweg is used by the following passenger services:

• International services along the whole line (Amsterdam - Frankfurt)
• Intercity services between Amsterdam and Arnhem (Alkmaar - Maastricht/Heerlen, Den Helder - Nijmegen, Schiphol - Eindhoven/Nijmegen, Zwolle - Roosendaal)
• Stoptrein services between Amsterdam and Zevenaar (Uitgeest - Rotterdam, Breukelen - Rhenen, Ede-Wageningen - Arnhem, Nijmegen - Zutphen, Arnhem - Winterswijk)

Train Types

A wide variety of trains can be found regularly on the Rhijnspoorweg:

• ICE 3M
  ICE 3
  ICE 3 is a family of high-speed EMUs of Deutsche Bahn. It includes classes 403 and 406, which are known as ICE 3 and ICE 3M respectively...
  
   on the Amsterdam - Frankfurt service on the whole line.
• NS DD-IRM
  NS VIRM
  The NS DD-IRM, full name Dubbeldeksinterregiomaterieel, Electric Multiple Units trains were built by De Dietrich or Talbot between 1994 and 2009. They operate in the Netherlands and are operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen.-First generation:...
  
   on the Alkmaar - Maastricht/Heerlen service between Amsterdam Centraal and Utrecht Centraal, the Den Helder - Nijmegen service between Amsterdam Centraal and Arnhem, the Schiphol - Eindhoven service between Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA and Utrecht Centraal, Schiphol - Nijmegen service between Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA and Arnhem and the Zwolle - Roosendaal between Arnhem and Arnhem Velperpoort.
• NS Koploper
  NS Intercity Materieel
  The Intercity Materieel or ICM is an Electric Multiple Unit train type operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen in The Netherlands. The prototypes were built in 1977 and production started in 1983 until 1994 by Talbot....
  
   on the Zwolle - Roosendaal between Arnhem and Arnhem Velperpoort.
• NS Sprinter
  NS Stadsgewestelijk Materieel
  The Stadsgewestelijk Materieel or SGM is an Electric Multiple Unit train type operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen in The Netherlands. They were built from 1975 to 1983 by Talbot...
  
   on the Uitgeest - Rotterdam service between Amsterdam Centraal and Breukelen, the Breukelen - Rhenen service between Breukelen and Maarn, Ede-Wageningen - Arnhem service between Ede-Wageningen and Arnhem and Nijmegen - Zutphen services between Arnhem and Arnhem Velperpoort.
• SLT on the Uitgeest - Rotterdam service between Amsterdam Centraal and Breukelen and the Breukelen - Rhenen service between Breukelen and Maarn
• Syntus Buffel
  NS Class 3400
  The NS Class 3400 diesel multiple units were built by Duewag, Talbot and SIG between 1996 and 1998. They operate in the Netherlands. They are operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen and some are currently on loan to Syntus. The class is referred to as DM'90 or Buffel by the Dutch, which means...
  
   and Syntus LINT 41 on the Arnhem - Winterswijk service between Arnhem and Zevenaar.
• Mat '64
  NS Mat '64
  The NS Mat '64 or Materieel '64 electric multiple units were built by Werkspoor and later by Düwag and Waggonfabrik Talbot between 1961 and 1976. They are operated, in decreasing numbers, in the Netherlands by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen . The class is actually called Plan T and Plan V: the Plan T...
  
  on the Ede-Wageningen - Arnhem service.

There are also large numbers of freight trains operating along the line.