NS International Reviews 473

All in all, my trip was great, but I would like to add some remarks:

1- When canceling a transfer, passengers should be alerted and provided with an alternate route through the mobile app or email address.

2- When crossing the border between two countries, passengers should be informed by the driver.

3- WiFi should be available on all trains.

4- Charging stations and sockets should be available.

5- Toilets should be available on all trains.

6- It would be great to use English on screens in addition to the local language.

When I purchased two tickets I had selected first class sleeping cars. Or do I thought. When I contacted customer service within a few days of purchasing the tickets in November 2023 for our May 2024 trip they said they didn’t see sleeping cars purchased. I was told that the system they were using doesn’t show the complete information. I thought nothing of it until we got to Zurich. The customer service at the Zurich HB wasn’t knowledgeable about the night train from Zurich to Berlin. Later we found out our 1959 hour departure was changed to 1954 hours. And the gates were not correct and the train station workers were not sure either. We had to ask several people. We only got on board a few minutes before train departure when one of the personnel confirmed we were on the right train. It pays to be there early. We were an hour early to take the train but still there was a lot of confusion about which train and which track. The conductors and attendants when we got in the train said there was nothing we could do to get an upgrade to a sleeping car even though there was availability. I had to wait for the train manager for a possible management decision and was told then train chief had to approve any upgrades. The train manager never came over to us to explain the discrepancy. While waiting to resolve this issue I used the chat feature with NS international. I was told there is nothing they could do since the train had departed.

The train did not depart on time and was running late. If you ever want to take this train, bring food and water. There is no dining for second class and first. And there are no announcements. Unless you can find a conductor to tell you how long you will be at a train stop you cannot be assured you have along enough to get out for a few minutes to get a snack or drink. Unlike Amtrak or Brightline at home, no one comes around checking on you. There’s no snack or drinks to purchase. Unlike the US when they may announcements, you’re sort of on your own on the Night Jet. I will definitely not want to write on the NS Night train in the future.

Worst run company. What is happening to the Netherlands. Airports and train services are the worst in Europe now. Nearly all trains are delayed, no ticket checkers so when you do book 1st class no seats as random people just decide to sit there. CEO should step down as they are a joke.

Got stack at Antwerp C. for almost 2 hours, the constant delays and cancellations are just an everyday reality for that train service. Avoid at all costs

Terrible service, always dirty, they also raise fares and limit the possibilities of a dune train discount, I hope this company will be canceled

I was booked 2 rows behind my children who are under age. Trains are not clean, service is very poor. There are no complimentary drinks or snacks even if one travels first class. Wifi is not stable and connection is often lost.
Traveling from Antwerpen to Schiphol, the train accumulated 30 mins delay. NS International issued the notices through the app late. In addition, the train (Eurostar) kept on declaring 17 mins delay until arrival to Schiphol when they finally admitted 30 mins delay. The overall service is suboptimal.

My journey with NS International on January 28, 2024, was highly disappointing. Due to a strike in Germany, my Amsterdam to Lausanne train via Basel was canceled without prior notice. The staff at NS International were unhelpful, offering no alternative solutions and displaying a lack of route knowledge. I was forced to buy a costly new ticket via Paris, leading to a missed connection. This resulted in an extended and stressful travel time. The experience showcased poor customer service and a failure in efficiently managing travel disruptions.

My evening train from Cologne to Amsterdam, which was the last one for the day, got cancelled just an hour before departure. The notification came through an app, with no apology or alternative travel options provided. The call center was utterly unhelpful. Not only did they fail to assist in arranging another way back to Amsterdam or securing overnight accommodation, but they also informed me that my ticket couldn't be changed to a different train due to its low-cost category. They advised me to call the next day for a refund. I was left completely on my own to figure out a return to Amsterdam, and to add to the frustration, they still haven't responded to me about the train cancellation. This experience was the epitome of poor customer service I've ever encountered.

Worst experience ever. There’s a song mocking the German trains, but they are at least better than NS

Zero customer service, due to German train strike, trains completely overbooked from Utrecht to Dusseldorf, no space to even stand on an international route. Didn’t manage to travel as planned, and no refund possible. No communication prior to departure and absolutely uninterested customer service.

I tried to book a train ticket by phone, because on the website it said that this could only be done by phone and not online. I had to wait for over 45 minutes to finally get in touch with someone, while they said the waiting time should be max 15 minutes... Luckily I have this in my phone bundle, but what a waste of time!

2 IC trains in a row cancelled to Brussels on 28/10. 1st time (11:28) we had to wait for 15 mins on the train in the platform before the announcement came that it was cancelled. The personnel said to wait for the next one (12:28). When that one was also cancelled they said to go to Rotterdam and take the train from there. That piece of advice was also useless since I had to wait for another hour or so as the next train to Brussels had 35 mins delay and departed from...Amsterdam (13:28). In the end I arrived to Brussels a little before 17.00 (5h30 journey in total) No info or updates from the staff or online. If a train is cancelled or is about to get cancelled NS should inform passengers either verbally on the platform or in the app. By not saying anything, passengers have to wait and wait instead of looking for alternative routes/solutions. In addition the NS trains are from a different century and are extremely poorly maintained and badly cleaned, especially the toilets. I suggest whoever is in charge of NS international takes a field trip and visits other European trains to see how delays are managed and communicated to passengers and also how much better the conditions of the trains are in general.

I got the date wrong and they wouldn't refund me for an e-ticket purchased online.
They didn't want to change it either.
Phone customer service zero.
After
I try to contact them with Facebook and they give me refund vaucher.

The worst train company ever! Avoid. My train Amsterdam-Brussels was cancelled and we were forced to book a journey with Thalys that cost us 250eur on spot. NS is not compensating anything, not even the original tickets even though we never travelled with the train (train was cancelled, as well as all next NS trains that day).

My husband and I booked a trip from Rotterdam to Dusseldorf. The trip required 2 transfers and the first only allowed 3 minutes between trains. I was worried about it, and of course we missed the connection and had to wait an hour for the next train. I don't understand why they would recommend such an itinerary. I will never use them again.

The first train was cancelled, had to re-plan the trip using the app and Google maps, ended up taking 9 connections instead of 3. Running between platforms in panic. No chance to use the WC as in all of the trains they were locked! Almost missed my flight. They sell city+ tickets that don’t work. And the tickets are expensive.

This company has reached new lows in customer dissatisfaction. Their relentless price hikes have left passengers paying a premium for an abysmal experience. Overcrowded, filthy trains with limited seating have become the norm. Fellow passengers display discourteous behavior, while the lack of cleanliness and pervasive food odor only compound the misery. Unbelievably, even mild weather fluctuations result in train breakdowns, leaving commuters stranded. Basic comforts like air conditioning are nonexistent, and the exorbitant prices of station food further exploit passengers. NS's consistent decline in quality, combined with exorbitant costs, has transformed commuting into a regrettable ordeal.

What a terrible company. The trains are often late, completely full and that while paying extremely expensive tickets. It's cheaper to travel by car. They take it's the green and cheap option, but it's really skewed how high the prices are.

It’s been a year since my initial claim. The last response I received from Customer service, one month ago, was that they don’t have a timeline for answering. I was offered 100% refund or 200% voucher based on a single journey around January this year, and after two contacts they keep delaying the answer. This was for a weekend trip to Paris in July 2022 where we were 4 hours trapped in the train in Brussels. The train never arrived to Paris and they did refund the return tickets immediately, but not the inbound ones so far. I have been patiently waiting (a year). Initially, I agreed with a voucher, and later (two months ago) I confirmed my preference for the refund as I lost trust in the company.

I was unable to use my ticket Amsterdam to London due to storm Poly when no trains left my home town or Amsterdam. In order to travel the following day I had to buy new tickets. I have lodged a complaint a month ago now but had no response other than to say my complaint has arrived. Telephoning is a waste of time. I acknowledge that no one can help a storm but there has been zero customer service and therefore I shall probably fly next time. I am very disappointed.