THE FANTASTIC NS DDZ DOUBLE DECKER REVIEW / DEN HAAG TO SCHIPHOL AIRPORT / DUTCH TRAIN TRIP REPORT

Hello and welcome to another trip report!
This is the first report of a new trip, a new year, a new camera, a new style in a post covid Europe... fingers crossed it stays like that! I won't be releasing them in the order filmed but will mix it up a bit to show the wide variety of trains I will be covering and hopefully you will enjoy what I've got to come!
So today we will be in The Netherlands riding aboard an NS 'DDZ' or Dubbeldekker Zonering to give it it's full title. An electric multiple unit 'EMU' capable of 140km/h or 87mph.
We will be travelling from Den Haag / The Hague to Amsterdam Schipol Airport on an Intercity service, a quick 29min trip on this fantastic yellow beast!
There are more Dutch trains to come along with loads of French, Italian & German ones among others so subscribe so you don't miss out!
Date of Filming - 12/7/20
Camera - GoPro Hero 7 Black
Departure: Den Haag Centraal
Arrival: Amsterdam Schipol Airport
Cost: €10.00
Follow me on Social Media:
/ nonstopeurotrip
/ nonstopeurotrip

[@schagerbaantje]

The reason there are sofa's in this train is because of the design of both decks. The lower deck is made with lots of seats facing each other for people who like to have conversations during their train ride together. On the sofa a group bigger than 4 can easily sit together (if the group is not to big ofcourse). The upper deck is more for people who travel alone or like to travel more peacefully. Here most seats are single or rows of 2. This group will also most often be the group of people who like to enjoy the view while traveling, which is why they get the upper deck. For people who like total silence you even have the silent coupes like the one you where sitting in. These are always on the top deck in these Trains.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks for the info!

[@ironmantrains]

Nice to see a reference to Geoff Marshall! Also the train you paralleled into Leiden was a VIRM, not a DDZ

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Haha, yes to both things lol. Deliberate mistake, there's one in every video 😅😉

[@silvianbauer1979]

​@@NonstopEurotrip ich wünsche das die ns dostos 03 oder dostos 07 mit Steuerwagen hätte.

[@dorus06]

8:34 just a note: that is not a DDZ, its anathor dubble decker called the "VIRM", it came after the DDZ in the year 2000...

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Deliberate mistake 😉

[@hartstukken]

1994 is when they were introduced

[@apotato5563]

@@hartstukken yes and no, they weren't between '94 and 2000 they were named dd-irm and were build out of 3-4 coaches in 2000 they were made longer renamed to be virm and operated as 4-6 coach trains

[@silenthunteruk]

7:47 The Dutch do get a lot of credit for going for yellow at a time when most of Europe was still using green, blue or red.

[@walterclements7968]

They chose this colour combination because they wanted to be recognisable from a distance. Even if youre standing far away you can clearly spot the NS logo and this way they stood out as well. Pretty interesting

[@Dekko-chan]

2:27 Yeah, its very spooky in there when the train is moving. If you were to lift the floor, you would see the connectors.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

😂

[@wouterbrand2097]

8:31 The parallel train is a VIRM, not a DDZ

[@michaelplus-trojan_dc8687]

You should review the VIRM, the DDZ is WAAY roomier, i dislike the VIRM because i keep hitting my head along several places in that thing xD

[@ThoomVlog]

right

[@TheTrainStory]

Loved the parallel run with another DDZ. Also thanks for bringing back memories of Dutch trains...

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks! There's more to come over the coming months!

[@maxbaktbrood9976]

It's no DDZ though, it's a VIRM!

[@jwslijm7278]

VIRM! > en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_VIRM

[@DanielsUKT]

Wow well done on your first post covid trip report I like your new camera and those double deckers trains look like recently refurbished very good standard also both stations you were at were amazing continue the good work 😊👍🇬🇧 🇳🇱 I like how you also like getting on the train early so you don't get any strange looks from other people or having to bump into them

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks mate!

[@DanielsUKT]

@@NonstopEurotrip no problem

[@lorijohnston4311]

Enjoyed the review. Other than the graffiti, that was an incredibly clean train. New subscriber via Dylan's Travel Reports!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks! I hope you enjoy the rest 🙂

[@marklee1194]

Me too.

[@HumbertoMesa]

Thanks for the ride !!!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

You're welcome 🙂

[@EverydayInUa]

Traveled this rail line. It's really fantastic!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Cool 😎

[@Dekko-chan]

These dubbeldekkers are for one, ridiculously quiet. Especially upstairs. They are also quite old They are built with making relatively long journeys as comfy as possible

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I like them ☺️

[@Dekko-chan]

Nonstop Eurotrip me too. I think its my favourite out of all the ns trains. Sadly i dont ever get to ride them. The train route that i use has a sprinter. Sometimes on special occasions i do get to be in them tho.

[@dinorecords1346]

The old models, before renewing. Called DD-AR was extremely loud. Its a big improvement.

[@theobrattinga500]

Great video !!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@venom5968]

Hey, I am a bit late... But there is a 'mostly' big difference between the upper deck and lower deck. The upper deck is used for people who still have to do some work or just general silence. Lower deck is more of a 'social' class that explains the sofa. This can be seen in all DDZ's and also in some newer generation VIRMs (around gen 4 I think)

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Ahh, that's interesting, thanks!

[@i.m.385]

These interiors can be found in the VIRMm trainsets. these are refurbished VIRM gen1's.

[@venom5968]

@@i.m.385 ah yes thats right! Ty

[@henkgeurts1374]

And @Nonstop Eurotrip the strange train what you said on 10:58 is an NS ICMm koploper wich has doorlopkoppen wich now closed by the modernization

[@sayemmazumder4338]

I love trains

[@Izithel]

8:30 the Intercitys on that line almost always sync up between The Hague and Leiden and it's always funny to see, especially when departing from Leiden in the direction The Hague as you're pretty much guarenteed for the trains to depart at the same time and they run parallel all the way and make a little racing game out of it in your head and hope your train beats the other. It's because of scheduling, at The Hague you got the Intercities from The Hague Central and the direction of Rotterdam meet up and share the line to Leiden Centraal awhere they have to arrive and leave roughly around the same time as to facilitate passenger transfers at which point they go share the same line for a bit and then split of in to the "Old Line" which goes Haarlem -Amsterdam and the Schiphol Line, which goes trough obviously by name Schiphol Airport - Amsterdam. And of course this goes for the route in both directions.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Interesting, thanks! 💕

[@Trainviking]

The Hague my home town 🙌

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Yay!

[@joseluisgomezbaquedano2061]

Nice trains

[@richardermstrang]

If I'm not mistaken, trains in the Netherlands only run at a top speed of 140km/h, except for the high speed rail, because most of the soil isn't firm enough to handle higher speeds. Read that somewhere. Awesome review!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Ha I never knew that!

[@kpapenburg102]

This is true indeed! There are very few trajectories (besides the High Speed Line) where higher speeds are allowed. But due to the fact that, besides the trains running on the HSL, all trains are running on ATB train security systems which allow speeds up to 140 km/h, even if the maximum speed allowed is higher. As a matter of fact, Den Haag-Leiden-Schiphol is one of those trajectories! With ETCS for example, trains could be running at 160 km/h on this route instead of 140 km/h

[@Thomas_TdK]

@@kpapenburg102 trains with atb+ can allready run at 160. But indeed when more line’s are upgraded with ermts the speed on many place’s will go from 130-140 to 160

[@Bananaman-hk6qw]

And als because there are MANY stations in the Netherlands. So obviously if you want to go really fast like a high speed train you need to stop all the time..

[@hartstukken]

Despite what the comments tell you. Our low voltage is also what limits us to a Vmax of 140 instead of 160

[@TSBkid7]

Nice video 👍❤

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks 🤗

[@deetjay1]

SCHIPHOL AIRPORT...My favorite!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I've been there more times by train than by plane 🤣

[@henkgeurts1374]

@Nonstop Eurotrip the train on 8:31 is not an NS DDZ but an NS Virm wich is now in renovation to VIRMm

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Well spotted, the deliberate mistake for the video 😅

[@henkgeurts1374]

@@NonstopEurotrip can happen

[@sayemmazumder4338]

T

[@TeamWolfmountain]

Virm3 to be exact

[@MeesterMichelM]

Fun fact about the DDZ, which you probably didn´t know, Nonstop Eurotrip: They actually are all converted regional stoppers, formerly under the names of DDAR and DDM. The difference being that the DDMs were loco-hauled double deckers and the DDARs were electric multiple units. You can see their overhaul here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqHbpaR6jJydpbc Btw, as has been mentioned in the comments more; the refurbishment from commuter to intercity took place much more recently than 2001, somewhere in the first half of the '10s of this century. Lovely footage nonetheless. Thanks. 😄

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Ooh thanks for the info, interesting! 😃

[@MeesterMichelM]

@@NonstopEurotrip you're very welcome. 😊

[@laeeqrehman7642]

Super ❤️

[@NonstopEurotrip]

🤗

[@wasted-blaster.]

Sofas on a daily commuter train? Wow I thought only royal/V.I.P. trains came equipped with sofas!! Do the DD trains help with route over crowding in the Peak times? Are these everyday use trains or are they only for peak times?

[@NonstopEurotrip]

They're everyday use trains but can still get pretty busy in the leak travel times. And the sofas are cool right? 😁

[@weeardguy]

They were a great help in the nineties when overcrowding (due to a shortage in rolling stock at the time) was a big problem and the introduction of the student-card in 1991 was thought to make matters far worse. This card enables students for 'free' travel (they pay a fixed fee for the card, but travel itself is free during either weekdays or weekend-days, with the other days enabling students to travel on discount. They really relieved the system as the increase in travellers due to the student card indeed started. Nowadays, they're an utter necessity. Without them the system would not cope anymore, especially not during the peaks.

[@RichardRenes]

How I miss the parallel runnng. Due to CoViD19, i am not going as much to Leiden as I used to. Those trains (Den Haag CS- Groningen/ Leeuwarden) and Vlissingen - Amsterdam CS (through Haarlem) run parallel between Den Haag Laan van Nieuw Oost Indië and Leiden Central (where you can switch trains). If I can give you a tip: Do Leiden - Haarlem in late March or April, when the tulip fields are in bloom ;)

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Oooh I'll definitely have to try that. It sounds amazing!

[@henkgeurts1374]

@Nonstop Eurotrip the 2 tracks on the left where used by NS trains from 28 September 1975 to Rotterdam Hofplein until 3 June 2006 and by RET Randstadrail metro's first to Rotterdam Hofplein from 11 November 2006 until 17 August 2010 and from 17 August 2001 until 11 December 2011 to Rotterdam Centraal and from 11 Deecember 2011 to now further to Slinge as Metroline E and until 22 August 2016 they used the former NS platforms 11 and 12 and from 22 August 2016 to now they use the metrostation Den Haag Centraal(where the HTM Randstadrail trams wich ride Randstadrail line 3 ans 4 and tgey used the platforms from metro in a emergency situation on the usually tramplatorms)wich is build on a viaduct above the busplatform

[@170166]

Did you ever step off at Leiden? I highly recommend it, Leiden is beautiful.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

No, but if you recommend it, I might next time? 😊

[@fnaaijkens69]

It's schipHol... As the name derives from Scheeps Hel (The Hell of Ships). The former lake was drained to become the Haarlemmermeerpolder, where they built Schiphol Airport. They found many shipwrecks in the ground from centuries of ships loosing their bearings and sinking.... :-)

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Sorry 🙈

[@fnaaijkens69]

@@NonstopEurotrip for shame! hahahahaha. It was correct elsewhere 🤣

[@stijnVDA1994]

There were two other versions aswel of that one, also a dubble decker and also a single decker style.

[@stijnVDA1994]

I don't know if these still run but both were older than this one and way older than the one riding next to the train you were in

[@silenthunteruk]

4:18 The British did try of course with the 4DD.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

If we were all 5ft tall it would be fine 😅

[@donmul630]

This train is now back on the rails. i think you have to consider to do this review again, because the vibrations are gone now. thats why it was off the rails for almost a year. is has a complete new breaking system.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I will be sure to next year 😃

[@cas8317]

Don't forget to check in with a ticket from the ticketmachine. If you do not, your ticket will be unvalid

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks!

[@i.m.385]

2:00 "refurbished from 2009" They didn't start refurbishment until 2012 and most didn't get into service before 2014.

[@sloththejolteon6472]

OI what was your opinion about Leiden Centraal on the trip?

[@NonstopEurotrip]

No opinion I wasn't there long enough 🤣

[@PaulSmith-pl7fo]

Hi. The DDZ looks very pretty from the outside, but I'm not sure about the seats; are they plastic or leather?

[@joostglas5631]

Leather I think

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Fake leather would probably be the kindest way to put it 🤣

[@hohelychen]

Super

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks 👍🏻

[@raoulkleijn6376]

Unfortunately, They haven't been used since December last year (because of vibrations at higher speeds)...

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I know, sad 😭

[@Frisianbusguy]

1:48 as of now you can also tap in using a debit/credit card but if you have a ov chipcard (i have one) you can get travel products on it like weekend free (unlimited travel in the weekend) its not even 50 euros a month (about 35 a month) plus its on 25% discount until june (flex version)

[@NonstopEurotrip]

That's a great step forward 👏🏻

[@mavadelo]

In all my 54 years of going with the train in the Netherlands, I only encountered graffiti free toilets in brand new sets. But besides the graffiti they have improved a lot compared to what I was used to in trains like the Mat'54 (Hondekop/doghead) and Mat'64 (Apekop/monkeyhead) Those toilets were a true Rocky Horrorshow. There is also no reason why you would ever buy a first class ticket for a Dutch train. Besides a slightly more comfortable seat and a feeling of superiority above "the plebs", there are literally no benefits at all.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Ekatrans]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@jellehofenk6151]

At this moment the DDZ double deckers are completely out of service because of vibrations at high speed with the risk of derail

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Hopefully they'll be back soon!

[@Thomas_TdK]

Nothing points to risk of derailment yet. The vibrations are unpleasant and can maybe damage the train or track. That is what is what the research is for. Nothing points to derailment

[@xvdelilah]

KZbin gave me this video and your channel too late. 6 months too late!!! Well, atleast I found you now!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Yay! Welcome along, you've got lots of videos to catch up on 😁

[@weeardguy]

10:28: if you thought this was fast, you should have rode them when they were still in service with a loco ;) With a loco, they had double the horsepower than actually needed for a 4-car consist. If the rails were nice and dry and the driver opened up the throttle, you sped away in no-time. It usually meant they had to wait longer at the next stop as they gained some time between them.

[@craiglogistics2092]

If only we could have trains like this in Britain, perhaps we need a larger loading guage

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Would make a change from the trucks hiring the bridges 😂

[@Paul91193]

You passed a VIRM on your way to Leiden, not a DDZ😉

[@NonstopEurotrip]

🤗😅

[@TheSynecdoche]

What I always find interesting is that on this "old" train type the engines are located on the lower deck of either the first or last carriage. The upper deck is usually first class. Longer sets usually have a locomotive added for extra oomph.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Interesting! I've never seen one with a loco added though... First Class seems to be randomly spread throughout too 😂

[@josvanderploeg7775]

The parallel train is not a DDZ, it's a VIRM. DDZ is a refurbished train, before refurbishing it's called DD-AR. That was for short trips with a lot of stops. That's why the doors are huge. At this moment the NS is refurbishing the VIRM- trainsets and they get almost the same interior as the DDZ.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I've been on a VIRM too and the DDZ is much nicer inside!

[@josvanderploeg7775]

@@NonstopEurotrip Have you been in an old VIRM or in an refurbished one? The refurbished ones have complete yellow doors.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

@@josvanderploeg7775 Yes, an old one

[@none-id3lj]

Nope, that's not a DDZ at 8:37 but a VIRM train. The DDZ is a very nice and good looking train, but they are now off the service since last week. They had issues with vibrations (some of them) and they are going to check what is wrong with it. They are off service around 2028, because then most of them are 40+ years old!

[@gwnlars_8306]

Thanks for the review of den haag and the DDZ centraal 😁 The reason why the train is so big is because dutch people are the tallest people of the world :D

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Lol. I'm quite tall too! Thanks!

[@gwnlars_8306]

@@NonstopEurotrip The old red trams on line 6 at den haag centraal are smaller than you think .. legroom = horrible . But the sound and quality of the trams 😍 The trams are 30/40 years old and the motors are around 60/70 years old from the PCC Cars that are build from 1949 towards 1975 . HTM operates the GTL8 on the lines: 1 , 6 , sometimes 11 , 12 and 16 .

[@NonstopEurotrip]

@@gwnlars_8306 I do love an old tram, like the ones in Milan 🥰

[@jellebrun6428]

8:26 that is not a ddz, that is a virm

[@RobertDoornbosF1]

@NetherlandsTrains ben je dom ofzo

[@txlerxncxxoxo5218]

that my country i use arriva trains erotrip make a vid on the arriva train in the netherlands

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I have lots of Dutch trains already...and more to come soon!

[@Dekko-chan]

The reason there is graffity in the toilets is because it is the only place where it goes unnoticed.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

True

[@weeardguy]

As a Dutch person who has never seen these things from the inside very thorough since their refurbishment, I can't understand why the doors between the machine-area (at 5:11) have been removed (they were there before they got refurbished). Those doors worked magic in keeping the sound out... That's unworthy of first class... Btw, I now see, that the refurbishment of these has the same 'flaws' as the former Koploper trains, with all kinds of interior-parts partially blocking entrances and especially the toilet accesible to disabled people being a real PITA spacewise...)

[@treinenliefde]

Those doors were removed for safety reasons. Unlike the doors near the stairs those doors are hinged like normal doors similair to ones in your home for example and as such, have to be closed correctly, if they arent (and are just loose against the frame) they can swing open violently and hit someone. So they were removed temporarily until they have a solution. But after about three years you'd have thought there was a solution, so I suspect they are just keeping it like this.

[@weeardguy]

@@treinenliefde They were normally hinged before the refurbishment as well and always had the tendency to smack closed if not closed properly and some forcefull braking would be applied. Can't remember ever hearing about safety-issues. Same for the doors between the compartments leading up to/from the stairs: the springs in those that had to keep them shut never worked that good and always made the doors swing open violently, especially with some tough braking. Sounds like another solution to a problem that does not exist.

[@treinenliefde]

@@weeardguy oh yeh the compartment doors near the stairs on the ddar were terrible, hah. However I read into it further today, or was it yesterday night? I don't know actually haha, and indeed its a bit of a silly situation. Apparently those glass doors that have been removed would smack into the face of passengers sitting near them after the ddz refurbishment, unlike in ddar, where they were less of a hazard when you were sitting near them since there was only a small folding seat there.

[@topearner2007]

Why are there never passengers on these trains.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

This was last year when people weren't travelling as much 👍🏻

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

For Rolling Stock familiarisation purposes I highly recomend this 20 min explanation video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pai0o4SgprtladE

[@jefwisse1957]

At 10.35 you mention the top speed of 190 km/h or is it 140 km/h? The top speed of these trains is 160 km/h or 100 MPH. However the maximum speed of trains on most of the tracks is limited to 140 km/h or 87 MPH. The exception is the high speed line between Hoofddorp and Brussels and the Hanzelijn where 200 km/h will be allowed once the new required safety equipment is installed in the trains. The mentioned speed of 87 MPH is however correct. Some advice to your video recording: At some moments you swing the camera to fast which makes the recording less enjoyable to watch. Please read the comments carefully before you decide to add them.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

It clearly says 140km/h

[@creutzwald1105]

@@NonstopEurotrip I also read 190 km/h and was looking into the comments for clarification. The fonts 4 ist looking like a 9 😅

[@waldogadellaa]

@@NonstopEurotrip These DDZ aren't capable of doing 200 km/h. New trains that will do are planned to enter into service from 2023 on (ICNG - Intercity New Generation)

[@hilcopietermeerstra3351]

The DDZ is out of work now

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Sad 🥺

[@mikeyfama9409]

11:54 is he grabbing the other guys throat? Sure looks like it

[@jwslijm7278]

SCHIPOL = Schiphol

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Whoops!

[@mariakaminska2697]

DDZ IS LEUKE TERIN VAN MIJN

[@GOTHICDRAGONS-TRAVELS]

your so in luck the toilet was clean most of the time it is soooo dirty you absolutely don't want to use it! the train was clean from the in and outside thats something that I most of the time dont get to see hahaha

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I was lucky then 😂

[@GOTHICDRAGONS-TRAVELS]

@@NonstopEurotrip yes you was hahaha

[@Neville60001]

5:51-I want to see Europeans explain to me, a (North) American, how they can look down on our trains with total disgust for not being fast enough (or having only diesel powered trains) when they have graffiti on and inside some of their commuter trains and regional ones.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

It really does depend where you are. I think it's more the network than the actual trains mate 🙏🏻

[@hartstukken]

@@NonstopEurotrip your rail network and service is pathetic ours having graffiti does not take away that it's a million times better than anything in the US

[@iyt6407]

This route for example has an intercity every 30 minutes from 5:33 AM to 00:33 AM. It makes it very accessibly for everyone, also for vandalism. It's just not possible to stop people from doing this, and there is not enough personnel. Amtrak is completely different with non regular trains and bag check in, almost like an airline.

[@Neville60001]

@@iyt6407, that's complete bullshit, and then some; if the NYCTA (New York City Transit Authority) and the city government of New York (as well as other transit agencies in the United States and Canada) can work to make sure that their vehicles aren't covered in graffiti, than this national company can do the same; what you said is a flimsy excuse that, as I said above, is complete bullshit. Canada and the U.S. have good excuses/reasons as to why there isn't HSR across both countries (as hard as it is for you and others commenting here to understand and realise), the Netherlands and other European countries *_DON'T_* have that excuse, as to why their trains are covered in graffiti inside and out; it's all a matter of enforcement of anti-defacement laws, and *_the willingness to enforce them_* .

[@Mysterio2243]

​@@Neville60001 It's so funny how you can't accept graffiti (that does get removed once in a while) on a 20-year-old train, but have no problem excusing the total lack of reliable public intercity transportation networks in the Americas :D. And yes, there's a good reason why the Americas have no proper public transportation: Suburbs and everything that cascades from it.

[@fidovinnie]

This train will be on 2027 permanently out of service due age of stock

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Sad 🥺

[@hesterclapp9717]

8:32 That looks like a VIRM to me

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Deliberate mistake 😂

[@robbiehakstor806]

If you look from a distance of about 5 miles, indeed. It then also looks like a ICE or GTV. If you should come closer you can see it is a DDZ.

[@sloththejolteon6472]

Your like, FANTASTIC DDZ but i hate them 🤣 I can not have that trains idk i developed a hate for them. I don't know why

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Virm is better 🤗

[@sloththejolteon6472]

@@NonstopEurotrip im agreeing

[@sloththejolteon6472]

@@NonstopEurotrip but best of all is ICM

[@weareherethe2nd]

8:36 it is a * V I R M * not a * B R O T H E R D D Z * you * M I S S P E L L E D *

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Deliberate mistake 😉