From Friday 2 October, a direct train will run between Amsterdam and Hamburg for the first time. NS International’s ICE trains are taking a new route to Berlin that goes through Bremen and Hamburg.
In the Netherlands, passengers can board in Amsterdam, Hilversum, Amersfoort, Apeldoorn, Deventer and Hengelo. The trip from Amsterdam to Hamburg takes between 4.5 and 5.5 hours, depending on the departure time.
Fares and stations
NS International says single tickets to Hamburg start at €33 and single tickets to Bremen start at €28. From 2 October until 12 December, the trains stop at Hamburg-Harburg and Hamburg-Bergedorf.
From 13 December until the end of 2027 they will serve Bremen Hauptbahnhof and Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, and tickets for that period go on sale on 14 October.
A route tied to engineering works
The trains will take this route until at least December 2027, because long-term engineering works between Hannover and Berlin begin this autumn. It is not yet known what will happen to the connection after that.
NS International director Heike Luiten said Hamburg and Bremen had been on the company’s wish list for some time. “By adding new cities, we make even more European destinations comfortably and sustainably reachable for our travellers.”
Rail operator GoVolta said earlier that it would run direct services to Berlin and Hamburg from March. Hamburg still cannot be booked with that operator.
Replacing short flights with trains
Hamburg is 360 kilometres from Amsterdam in a straight line, and in recent years it has become a popular destination for long weekends. The drive usually takes about six hours, so many people fly there.
A few years ago, Amsterdam said it wanted more short and medium-distance flights to be replaced by train journeys. In an expert session of the city council, members discussed a target for 2050.
By then, all flights within 250 kilometres of the city, such as to Brussels and Düsseldorf, would be replaced by rail. For destinations between 250 and 500 kilometres, including Hamburg and Paris, 30% of trips should be possible by train.
For flights up to 750 kilometres, such as to Berlin and Stuttgart, the figure would be 6%.
Planning a cross-border getaway? Make sure you look into travel insurance for trips from the Netherlands.
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