[Ep. 1015] This is the fourth time in 15 years that I show you how I commute 50 kilometres (‘s-Hertogenbosch to Utrecht) in the Netherlands by the combination of train and bicycle.
More information in the blog post: https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/?p=25286
15 years ago I published my first video. It showed how you can have a 50 km commute in the Netherlands… without the necessity of a private car. That video was meant to explain that the train bicycle combination… is what makes the bicycle a feasible transportation option… even for longer distances,
Fundamentally, my commute has remained relatively unchanged. I still work and reside in the same locations. I only make the trip less frequently. From 4 days in the week it went to three and since the pandemic to only two. The stroll to the station changed least of all. At the station we see minor differences,
Such as the mechanic system to announce the train departures that was replaced by a computer screen. Dutch stations have retained the analog clocks. Do you remember how we all used to carry newspapers onto the trains? For a considerable period these were complimentary. Initially they were distributed and subsequently they were accessible from containers.
The train Interiors have undergone several transformations. From the typical colors and faux leather of the 1990s… the seats got a type of blue fabric that was more prone to staining. At least they refrained from introducing carpet. The fabric was relatively quickly replaced again by a new type of vinyl in more contemporary colours.
Taking a nap was as popular 15 years ago as it is today. The Utrecht leg of my commute underwent the most change. The station was a construction site for years, as part of a complete refurbishment. Consequently, my bicycle was parked at four different locations. First, under the station
But when that location was to be reconstructed I had to move it to an older garage in the Utrecht Mall. When that place closed too I relocated to another location once more. Finally, since 2019, I can use the tunnel on the railway tracks
As a direct access to the world’s largest bicycle parking garage where my bicycle is parked As the train tables also changed I now depart from home 10 minutes earlier. This means I no longer buy coffee at the station. I now arrive in Utrecht so early that I get my first coffee at work.
Much better for the environment as well as for my wallet And so my commute still comprises the successful bicycle/train combination… which functions so effectively in the Netherlands. I anticipate making this journey for another 10 years after which I hope to retire.
27 Comments
Happy New Year Mark …
15 years of video? You beat Tom Scott 😃
I bet the ticket cost has gone up a lot in 15 years but now you only commute 2 days a week .Was that just during the Plan-demic ? or still 2 days a week ? I spent a few days in Utrecht (from Ireland ) in 2022 .It was a nice change from Amsterdam where i usually visit .Cheaper for accommodation also .
I did commute by train and bicycle myself. It was a 120km ride, from Offenburg to Weil am Rhein. My work place and my home both were a 5 minute bike ride from the train station. It was a good time then. I could read or take a nap, I didn't have to pump gas, no maintenance for the car, just me, my book and my music. It was during this part of my life when I somewhat emotionally disconnected from cars. I now own a car again, but I don't identify myself as a car person anymore. Way back then, it was a means of self-expression to me. Now it's just a mind-boggling expensive means of transportation, that my wife needs to get to her work place. Wouldn't it be necessary, we surely wouldn't have a car of our own. Since then I moved to another city and got another job. Now I ride my bike 10km to my work place, and I enjoy it even in light rain. Heavy rain is the only time when I fall for comfort and use the car. Otherwise my recumbent is my way to go. And if sometimes my Liegfiets isn't working (which is okay with 15000 km on the odo) I still have my trusty Omafiets. I turned into a bike person, and I'm not going back anytime near. ❤
Mark: 800m, I can walk that.
Also Mark: 900m, let's grab a bike 😀
Happy new year!
We visited Utrecht, and delighted in going down the slide instead of the steps, but maybe not in the rain 😊
Beste wensen voor 2024! En voor ieder die je dierbaar is!
Best wishes for 2024! And to all around you!
My friend I remember well when I saw your video, wow, times passes so fast I didn't notice it was 15 years ago.
I remember your channel's name was markenlei, am I right? Cheers.
Cool! Fun to see what changed and stayed the same. Happy New Year, Mark! 😀🎉
This is a wonderful document, well edited and well conceived.
Nothing has changed. Transfer from one train to another is still a mess at Roosendaal. Just like 10 years ago. There’s 3 platforms, but more trains. So they split them into 1a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 4a and finally 4b. So when you have to transfer from 4a to 4b, you have to get out and walk to the train on the other side of the platform. Which is NOT the next train in sight, as one would expect. Even though the digital screen next to the train may imply that it will go in the right direction, the screens of the train itself may tell a different story. They still manage to make a mess of this.
ALWAYS ask the conductor to be sure, yell if necessary. (Some trains might be a hundred meters long or so…) The planning department of ProRail is one big mess as such. It should never have been disconnected from NS. The Netherlands is way too small for a privatised rail network.
Also when taking a bicycle by NS train, which one might expect to be a regular thing in The Netherlands, you have to be extremely wary. Only very few compartments in the NS trains are available for this, as opposed to Arriva. Because of this, sometimes you have to move quickly on the platforms. But not every traveller is aware of this and the transfer schedule doesn’t actually allow walking from the bicycle compartment of one train to the bicycle compartment of the train you’re transferring to.
Heck, I would say that even domestic flying by airplane in Bolivia is much more bicycle friendly than travelling by NS trains in ‘bicycle paradise’ (ahem) The Netherlands. In The Netherlands only Arriva comes close with their bicycle policy in trains. Can we make Arriva the national company for both running the trains as well as maintaining the rail network? 🙏🏻🥺
Goodness how time flies! You know the thing I found most interesting though? The fact that we get to see your bicycle! After all this time listening to the cadence of your chain and pedals its fascinating to see what it looks like.😄
Happy New Year Mark, continued safe travels and thank you for taking me out into the open air when I'm not well enough to go myself.👍🙏
I cycled in the Netherlands approximately 30 years ago and my mind was blown. It was like a dream compared to the UK.
Last year I revisited and could barely believe how much further the transport infrastructure has advanced.
Sadly the UK is still far behind, even than the Netherlands 30 years ago.
Ik mis de Metro en de Spits wel een beetje hoor!
Well done. 🙂
Happy new year! 👍
I do miss the giant analog time table in the main hall, simply because it was such an iconic sight when there where major disruptions in train traffic that the whole thing would be black. Also the rattling was great.
Happy New Year and thank you for showing your commute!
Great video showing how easy to cycle and public transport for work. Thank mark,
One minor thing: the interior of the train didn't change twice, it changed just once. The light-blue fabric seats are all part of the VIRM-4, and they still drive around with the same interior. It's the VIRM1/2/3 that got their interiors replaced.
Wonderfully captured and I must say by far you are the best blogger in the world. Keep up the outstanding work and wishing you another 10 years of successful work trips and happier adventures after that. Have a great new year. I couldn’t meet you in June last year as I was there in your country but I am hoping to meet you sometime in future. Best wishes ❤Vijay
thanks for 15 years of videos!
I only have to physically go to the office every few weeks now after the pandemic (and even then it's mostly just a management box ticking exercise – the number of times I really need to be on site is probably now in single figures per year). When I do go in, it's about 4km in each direction, which I do by walking. This gives me a decent step count and physical activity on those days. I still prefer working from home though – especially when you wake up on a dark, wet, windy, cold winter's morning and the "office" is just downstairs next to the kitchen!
How do the trains in NL deal with the bicycles? Our light rail transit only allows 2 at each end of the train car, inside, where you have to hold it and stand with other passengers for a total of 8 per train and ONLY during non-peak hours. Not ideal, nor relaxing as you have to stand the whole journey.
My favourite trip with the bike is still From Turnhout Belgium all the way to Gorinchem south Netherlands and back a almost 12hr ride a couple of summers a go i did it like every weekend all summer . This year i gonna try to reach Duisburg Germany and sleep in a hammock so that means a lot of weight on the bike yet on the other hand always geared up to sleep a long the way
Why catch a train if you got a bycicle
Wonderful! As a citizen of the UK I can only look on in envy. Cheers👍🏼
Great video as always Mark!