History of rail transport in the Netherlands

The history of rail transport in the Netherlands is generally considered to have begun on September 20, 1839, when the first train, drawn by De Arend, successfully made the 16 km (9.9 mi) trip from Amsterdam to Haarlem.

However, unlike most European countries, the Netherlands already had an effective manner of transporting goods and passengers between cities, the horse-drawn boat or trekschuit.

The Netherlands had historically been a trading nation, partly due to the many rivers and canals running through the country which allowed for effective transport.

[1] Moreover, the existing shipping industry formed a powerful lobby against the railroad, which managed to sway public opinion.

This change in route may have been partly influenced by wealthy investors who were eager for a direct train connection between either of the great Dutch ports (Amsterdam and Rotterdam).

After the first stretch between Amsterdam and Haarlem proved viable, the company decided to complete the line to Rotterdam.

This led to a rather famous incident when Aernout Hendrik van Wickevoort Crommelin, the owner of a small parcel of land in Delft which lay directly in the path of the railway, only wanted to sell his land in exchange for a train station at a place favorable to him.

This small change in the route had only been operational for five days, but cost the railroad more than they would have spent fulfilling Van Wickevoorts' demands.

[3] King William once again proved to be the saviour of the railway, when he personally vouched for the interest payments on the financing of the railroad.

The final stretch, the connection with Germany, was only completed 11 years later, in 1856, possibly because the railway first had to convert to standard gauge.

In 1854 and 1855 the Société Anonyme des chemins de fer d'Anvers à Rotterdam (AR) built a railway from Antwerp to Moerdijk and a branchline from Roosendaal to Breda.

The Noord-Brabantsch-Duitsche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NBDS) was founded to fill the gap in the line between Saint Petersburg, Berlin and London.

It was served by alternating voltage of 10,000 V. The overhead line was chosen over the third rail system to decrease the number of accidents.

[4] See the article about the Nederlandse Spoorwegen until this section is completed (All notes are in Dutch) Media related to History of rail transport in the Netherlands at Wikimedia Commons