Why I Love This AWESOME New Dutch Intercity Train

[@barthiddema3594]

The mood lighting is not random. Orange lighting is the social area of the train, it mostly has seats facing eachother for social interaction and groups, this is where you'll find the couches. Blue is for working and making calls/meetings, here you'll find more airline style seating and traytables for laptops. Purple is the silent area, this area is for people who want to work/read/study in silence and therefore also has mostly airline style seating. It should be as quiet as a library, talking and calling (sometimes even whispering) can get you a lot of angry faces!

[@Simon-Andersen]

I did not know that, but that is really cool!

[@thymenooijevaar]

Talking in the silent area can also get you a fine of 140 euros. Almost no conductors will actually write that ticket, but they technically can.

[@jlust6660]

It really shows that NS should have probably done more to explain the colours in the train itself. To passengers coming from Germany and Belgium the lighting will look a bit random. I forgot if they actually installed stiltezone placards on the international version, but if they hadn't they probably should. Otherwise too few people will understand let alone respect the zones.

[@MrATimm]

For the stiltecoupé, they only added small icons above the doors (you can see it at 9:43). No big window decals like in the rest of the IC trains. I do think they should add them. Even Dutch people don't realise the significance of the colours, and the tiny sign is really hard to spot.

[@Artemis0713]

The reason that "even whispering" gets you angry faces is because under NS policy, silent compartments mean you need to be Silent. In many other places whispering is tolerated. But for NS trains, it's not.

[@Jules_Diplopia]

Accessibility. As a wheelchair use I cannot use the older trains, without booking assistance in advance. That is impractical as I cannot always be certain when of if I will be able to travel. These are the first IC trains that I can independently use, rather than having to always travel on sprinters.

[@Simon-Andersen]

I shoud really have pointed that out! Thanks for sharing!

[@JohnBlutarski]

Would be even better if they had chosen the double deck variant

[@SpartanChiefNL]

So I commute on this route daily and to be honest I always hope the old trains show up. The new ones have way too many 4 seaters: commuters have zero interest in speaking or staring to the person across from them. And I think there are less seats in general. With the old ones it is rare that every seat is taken. With the new ones its almost guaranteed that you have to stand during rush hour. And the noise… the new trains have a complete orchestra of weird and annoying sounds during the entire trip. And the electric sliding doors every few meters are absolutely terrible and are broken half the time.

[@kakoathecow]

100% agree. I really dont understand why they have so many 4 seaters when the vast majority of travelers are alone. The layout is terribly inefficient.

[@wandeling127]

You're right. The layout is terribly inefficiënt. I want a private seat, not a weird sofa or "meeting spaces". Also, it's not a very quiet train compared to the old ones. And it breaks easily, especially the many compartment doors. I can't really see the interior last for a long time.

[@SnipCola28]

5:28 thats because you are seated in a car with an powered bogie. the traction motors are there, together with the regenerative braking resistors. As a train driver this is pretty usefull as i can hear when the train has wheelspin. Further to the middle is alot more quiet.

[@casparjaeqx8328]

I don't know why but i thought trains somehow stored the regenerative braking energy or put it back in to the grid instead of dumping it all to a resistor

[@SnipCola28]

@casparjaeqx8328 it puts it back into the catenary at like 1800-1900V DC. This can be used when other trains nearby are accelerating. Those can use the power generated by regenerative braking. All the excess that cannot be dumped into the catenary is wasted as heat, since regenerative braking does not cause wear on the brake discs and pads.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Yup, that was also my experience. wonder now how the wheel slip issue is handled on other trains where they aren’t as loud or don’t have powered bogies near the cab. I guess you just learn to live without it.

[@SnipCola28]

@@Simon-Andersen differs between trains here. Most of the trains have some sort of indicator. The DDZ and V-IRM have an bulb that lights up, the newer ones have an icon in the "hmi" (screen where we can controll stuff) though not always accurate. Most of the times i notice it before the train does. Its just something you can feel, even when the powered bougies are not beneath me, like the V-IRM

[@kieranstravels]

The ICNG looks pretty cool! Those traction motors are great too from an enthusiast perspective, We too received new Stadler trains (the British Rail Class 777), which are really quite decent too.

[@sjokomelk]

What you call "mood lighting" is NS way to tell you what kind of car you are in. I believe the blue light is for "working and meetings", the purple is "quiet zone", and I don't know the other colors.

[@life.with.sabine]

Orange is for talking. But most people do not respect them cause it isn’t really known

[@Simon-Andersen]

I did not know that, would be cool if they made more of an effort to explain that :D

[@patrickreuvekamp]

@@Simon-Andersen I don't think explaining will be enough. Regular enforcing will be required, otherwise a lot of people will just ignore it.

[@khulhucthulhu9952]

how is anyone supposed to know this? even with the recent flow refits of the VIRM trains they made it super unclear what is a quiet zone and what isn't... why even have them if you're not making it clear?

[@BruhBram_]

It needs waaaaaay more seats

[@j.vanderson6239]

The train station of Haarlem is unbeatable. So much history !!!

[@Drago1995]

i can't wait for this train to be in service, i live in Deinze Belgium so it does take longer to reach cities like Rotterdam or even Utrecht 3h30 to 4 hours but when the new intercity goes into service it's gonna save me like 30 minutes :D has i usually like to reach a place for a day trip before 11:00.

[@DJKLProductions]

One project that I am really looking forward to seeing completed is the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel, because I have always wanted to take the Vogelfluglinie (Fugleflugtslinjen) route. Unfortunately, I realised too late when it has been (temporarily) closed because the ICE TDs were too unreliable, so I was never able to take the train onto the ferry. Now the tunnel has to do, even if it's not nearly as cool a replacement.

[@Simon-Andersen]

I grew up on the island on the Danish side where the ferry sails to, so I have many fond memories of the train ferry. It’s a shame you never got the chance, as it was a fun and unique experience. However, the tunnel is also going to be quite an impressive piece of infrastructure.

[@nennat]

2 extra facts: 1. locomotive hauled services will continue but the NS carriages will be swapped for Belgian I11 carriages. The first TRAXX shown in this video already shows the NS livery stripped and the SNCB/NMBS logo on the side. 2. You can spot this in the video: Despite the fact that trains in the Netherlands run on the right the HSL Zuid south of Rotterdam has trains running on the left to match the connecting Belgian high speed tracks (Belgian trains like French trains of course run on the left)

[@puikepuck]

The TRAXX in the video isn't stripped from NS colours, it never had any. Apart from the TRAXX locos in NS livery (leased from AKIM), NS also leased a few that never had NS livery (leased from Alpha Trains, NS doesn't own any TRAXX locos themselves) and NMBS TRAXX locos (also leased from Alpha Trains) have that same livery. As far as I know the I11 are hauled by HLE18/19 locos but since those don't have ATB on board it could be that TRAXX locos will haul those for the time being, but it's likely eventually new Vectron locos will take their place since those are closely related to the HLE18/19

[@nennat]

@ you are right neither rail company owns traxxs, they have always been leased, by NS for the national IC Direct and by NMBS to haul carriages for the IC Amsterdam - Brussels. Those are now getting a real NMBS livery and I believe they are taking over the lease of NS for some extra TRAXXs. These class 28 TRAXXs are indeed a temporary solution until the new Class 17 comes in, which will be from the new TRAXX family made by Alstom. So no NMBS Vectrons or HLE 18/19 for service in the Netherlands sadly enough (we can never have enough Vectrons to spot)

[@stevenoskam]

​@@nennat 186 001 - 186 045 were bought and owned by NS but sold to Akiem and leased back in I believe 2020.

[@paulthiel5145]

Can't believe you made it to my hometown of Breda. Would have loved a meet and greet, but I hope you had some time to visit our charming and welcoming city as well (yes, I am biased 😂). Anyway, great trip report as always 👍

[@Simon-Andersen]

I had about 3 hours so i had a lovely walk around the center, thank you :D

[@yessirgg]

Btw, Romania is about to introduce similar trains (Alstom Coradia Stream) on the Bucuresti Gara de Nord - Brasov route. They are the first new trains in 20 years, and are starting service on the 15th of November :)

[@ovidiu_nl]

And how fast are they going to go between Predeal and Brașov? 😁

[@yessirgg]

@@ovidiu_nl They will go slowly (~50km/h) but with time they will be added to other lines too (for example Bucuresti - Constanta) where they can travel faster (160km/h).

[@Simon-Andersen]

And I've heard a company up in Iasi has bought some IC3 trains from Israel, they plan to put in service soon also. So sounds like another trip to Romania is on the horizon 👀

[@yessirgg]

@@Simon-Andersen Yea, things are starting to change in Romania, where rail was forgotten for 20 years. Hope there's enough changes so its worth going. Anyways, love your content :D

[@jeroen2218]

@@yessirgg I will be visiting Romania for the first time soon. Planning to take a train from Bucuresti to Giurgu

[@K2YU]

As they also include a version suitable for the German railway network, i can imagine seeing them operating potential Intercity Direct-style services from Amsterdam and Rotterdam across the border to Cologne and Dortmund sometime in the future.

[@drdewott9154]

I'd personally hope for an Amsterdam to Hamburg service. I know DSB is already planning a Copenhagen to Amsterdam train route so supplementing them with shorter Amsterdam to Hamburg trains would be very nice. That entire corridor is essentially a missing link right now, and both DSB and GoVolta seem to plan on taking advantage of that.

[@K2YU]

@@drdewott9154 I agree that they would also be good for Hamburg-Amsterdam services. Considering that both cities are relatively close, it is surprising that there are currently no direct services on this corridor, especically as the effort required would be minimal.

[@melaniedrogr951]

@@drdewott9154 wasnt govolta intruducing an amsterdam copenhagen train as well as a separate train to hamburg as well (somewhere in 2025/6 i believe)?

[@drdewott9154]

@@melaniedrogr951 Yeah.

[@sheeple04]

​@@K2YUIts mostly due to the tracks in Germany. Theres not really a "direct" railway to Hamburg. The fastest is to follow the same route of the Berlin train, crossing the border at Oldenzaal-Bad Bentheim. Then following the route til Osnabrück Hbf. Osnabrück Hbf is an x-shaped overpass station where the north-south and west-east railways cross. The train can get from west to the north tracks, but for that it has to go on a 1 track turn that skips the Hbf. Therefore trains will have to instead stop at Osnabrück Altstadt if they want to serve Osnabrück. So yeah, thats why there isnt. They always just wanted you to transfer at Osnabrück Hbf as thats easiest.

[@wewillrockyou1986]

Something worth noting: Bike racks are only to be used off peak, you aren't allowed to take bikes on the train (except for folding bikes) during rush hour. Also, the high speed line currently has a speed restriction of 80 km/h for a few kilometres to the south of Schiphol, because of some pretty major construction faults.

[@ldegmtrainspotter]

Super video! Nice train ride! Thumbs Up All the best from Dublin Andrew

[@Simon-Andersen]

Thanks as always Andrew!

[@timofransen3744]

Breda Station almost gave you a feeling like it had a subway ( underground or Metro ) besides Trains and Busses 😉

[@happygamer787]

Right now the ICNG's have already been introduced on the line form The Hague to Eindhoven, and they've just started a daily service between Lelystad and Brussels which I believe is meant to expand more to the north in the future. This is of course on top of the already established service from Amsterdam to Breda and Amsterdam to Brussels.

[@timbacchus]

I liked the noise that it made sounded like a jet engine.

[@Qwertworks]

I love the logo of the dutch railway! Such great design imo :D

[@jeroen2535]

I don't like the ICNG. It feels to cramped. I can definitely tell it's a regional train upgraded to a intercity train from inside layout. The Fyra V250 felt more like proper high speed train. Inside it was similar to a ICE and Thalys.

[@ageoflove1980]

Thanks for the review!

[@mariadelmarjimenezarroyo]

Excellent video, lovely train

[@Simon-Andersen]

Thanks Maria 🙌

[@mariadelmarjimenezarroyo]

@Simon-Andersen thanks for you

[@nielsjrgenkruse7307]

The Danish IC5 has a different sound. There is a video from the test track with the prototype where this can be heard.

[@Simon-Andersen]

I agree, but it's very hard to judge, as those videos of the IC5 are filmed from a distance and not right on top of the traction motors.

[@melaniedrogr951]

Can be true, a big part of the sound is the dutch overhead voltage system, which at 1500V DC just does not give the trains enough power. Soo essentially the motors are build for a higer voltage than is present on the standard dutch lines, meaning that under dutch overhead wires, less voltage is 'put' inside the motor and more current has to flow trough to match the same output, leading to more/different noise. Adding to this, is that alstrom motors are noisy in general, compared to other trains. Because denmark, like the dutch high speed lines, use a higher voltage for the overhead lines, the engines can run on max voltage, meaning less current flows trough them, making them sound different/less noisy. You can actually hear this pretty well if you take the regional trains from hengelo or arnhem across the border into germany, as the motor sounds change after the train switches to the german overhead voltage (and it accelerates a lot faster).

[@mdhazeldine]

@@melaniedrogr951 Very interesting!

[@weeardguy]

@@melaniedrogr951 Uh no. Most of the motors these days are all rather standard as the traction-electronics take care of things and those usually provide quite standard output voltages and higher voltages are usually more of a pain than an actual advantage when it comes to efficiency and insulation. It's the onboard electronics (either a transformer or static converter) that convert the overhead power into something more useful and that's where the difference comes into play: at 25 kV you can still draw significant current, which is nice when the motors most likely only operate at something like 750 Volt. Where you quickly max out current-wise at 1800 VDC max (as the substation just won't give you more than about 4,5 kilo-Amps if I remember it right), you have far more power available due to the conversion down from 25 kV (which in normal language means that as the voltage goes up, the current decreases as a result). And I took one a while back from Rotterdam CS to Amsterdam CS and I don't know when we entered the HSL exactly (I guess we didn't yet, as we had just took the curve from the station), but gee, the acceleration was great! I was facing backwards and nearly slid from my seat as it suddenly accelerated after driving 40 km/h for a while. I took them a few times before, but the Schiphol-Amsterdam CS part is incredibly boring with about 80 km/h max and no decent acceleration due to network congestion) Definitely like the seats, again we FINALLY got seats that will make me last a long journey after all the crap from the last 30 years or so.

[@sjokomelk]

@@melaniedrogr951 The motors are run by IGBT inverters, and always running at the same voltage no matter what power is coming into the train. The 5-car ICNG has 6 motors each with 424kW of power. The 8 car has 8 motors with the same power output.

[@gluffoful]

I also love these new trains! The only negative was the bulky fixing of the tables to the wall in those bays of four. Even if rounded, it reduces kneeroom. I was looking to see a trash bin in it, but apparently this was purely by design. But the mix of seating, style, large displays (legible from the other end of the car) comfortable ride are great.

[@jordikuijt1004]

Likely this partly has to do with regulations. After the singelgracht collision NS was instructed by the Dutch safety board to make interiors safer in case of a an accident. One of the main lessons was to make tables a lot more bulky and rounded as the only fatal injury in that collision was caused by a table.

[@reheller]

Cool video, Simon! I like the interior the NS ordered for their trains. And from the Dutch stations I have been to, Rotterdam CS is my favorite

[@krullenbos94]

I'm not a fan of these trains to be honest. As a commuter it feels a lot more cramped compared to older IC's NS has in service. There are also a lot of 4 seats and less coach, but most people are not interested in talking to others after a long day working. The walkway between the seats are very narrow. And aside from that all the train makes some very annoying and loud noises along the way which is really disturbing when you first travel on that train. I wish they would have made a different choice. I also find it funny that the NS bought a train which is used all over Europe as just a regular commuter train, and we are using it as a high speed train. Shows how small our high speed part is. Oh.. and the front is just really ugly.

[@Simon-Andersen]

I can't speak too much on other trains in the NL - I've only ever spent time on a VIRM and I think those feel horribly cramped and outdated. I don't think it's fair to say the coradia is a commuter train, the platform is very versitile. Romania and Denmark are also getting a medium/IC variant, NS was just the first ones. 😅 - Similar to Stadler Flirts in that regard

[@patrickreuvekamp]

I am worried about the number of bays of four (and the tables) as well. That doesn't seem to have been thought through.

[@OtherwiseUknownMonkey]

I think the worst part is just how much first class seating. when there are a lot of people trying to find even a standing place in 2nd class, with so much of 1st class essentially deserted, the layout feels insultingly simmered in greed

[@patrickreuvekamp]

@ I hear arguments like this a lot, but first class can get quite full as well, depending on the time and route.

[@mdhazeldine]

@@Simon-Andersen you really need to have a go on a Koploper! They might be old, but they are very comfortable and, let's face it, iconic.

[@sheeple04]

The plans for further domestic service of this train is that itll at some point expand the InterCity Direct services to also go into the hinterland of the Netherlands, to the further big cities of Groningen, Enschede, Zwolle, Lelystad etc., with services terminating at Lelystad and Amersfoort C starting next year, rather then Amsterdam C like now (itll also go via Amsterdam Zuid instead of C) Taking over intercity services headed for Schiphol atm (like Enschede-Schiphol) i presume in the future. Issue it will create thats well covered is that it can cause a "Paaltjesoerwoud" (Pole rain forest) because youll have to add one of those additional 3 euro payment poles to every station the ICD stops at. As every one of them will go on the HSL Zuid. Thisll definitely create big problems and confusion i presume to not seasoned travelers, so commuter organisations like Rover have protested that NS should do something about this system before every station that the ICD stops at needs another tap pole added, which would raise it to 3 at some stations such as Groningen, Enschede, Hengelo, etc, which also have a regional operator already causing an additional check in pole.

[@lorenzor4024]

Nice trainset indeed. It's actually very similar to the ETR.103 and ETR.104 used on local lines around Italy.

[@TheRandCrews]

i’m interested to take these from Amsterdam to Antwerp or Brussels to Antwerp, when i visit. It seem cooler than what we got here in Canada where i am confine from.

[@patrickreuvekamp]

That will be the more expensive option though, since these trains will only be partially integrated into the regular pricing system and you will also not be allowed to use them for journeys between Antwerp and Brussels. The current intercity between Amsterdam and Brussels will be shortened to Rotterdam-Brussels and will use the really comfortable Belgian i11 coaches. And last but not least: prices for that train will go down significantly, whereas prices for the faster Amsterdam-Brussels service will go up. (And between Rotterdam and Brussels the fast service will use its own pricing system with no validity for Belgian domestic tickets and Dutch discounts/subscriptions.)

[@michaelbruchas6663]

Thanks!

[@Simon-Andersen]

Thank you Michael!

[@tom99987]

Looks amazing, you should compare it with Inter Panter, which belongs to České dráhy.

[@Simon-Andersen]

It's funny you say that - I recorded a video on a InterPanter last week, probably won't come around to editing it before the new year, but it's coming 😊

[@tom99987]

@Simon-Andersen wow, it's great hearing it! I look forward to see it! I like traveling with that train a lot. 😊

[@RobbertsTravelGuides]

I must say i had my fair share of hate to NS, but the ICNG is the ALMOAST perfect train, bysides alot of broken toilets and other beginning issues i think its a very good train, Its a good replacement for the ICMm ( Koploper ) trains from NS.

[@maxjohkna]

There’s a very similar multilevel car park at Malmö C - the roof of it is one of my absolute favourite places to photograph trains, assuming the weather is reasonably clear. You can see the entire stabling yard as well as the approach to the platforms - unfortunately most of the freight operations are too far away to get a proper view.

[@aviano72]

I will be looking forward to your video on DSB IC5

[@Simon-Andersen]

Still a while till 2027!

[@parmentier7457]

I wonder if the Danish version will also get single doors like the NS ICNG. The standard Coradia's have double doors, the Dutch version is adapted with single doors because of the speed and pressure in tunnels.

[@Simon-Andersen]

The Danish ones have double doors, which was a requirement as we are going to use them as both regional and intercity trains. I know this was a bit of a challenge for Alstom, as they would also be running on lines where they could pass trains running at 250 km/h and would need to withstand that pressure, but they found a way, it seems. 😄

[@floris3239]

It would be very nice once Denmark has migrated to ERTMS to see a direct service to Copenhagen with the ICNG-D units together or alternating with the Danish IC5 trains.

[@Simon-Andersen]

DSB is actually planning to run this route, but with their new Talgos

[@tijsbeek8590]

Amsterdam Copenhagen? Or what route?

[@floris3239]

​@tijsbeek8590 via the Vogelfluglinie which they are building at the moment. Most of the route will have line a speed of 200 kilometres per hour. So via that route could be possible to go from Amsterdam to Copenhagen in 4 hours.

[@tijsbeek8590]

@@floris3239 ahhh, yeah okay fair enough. Assumed you meant something else, since that tunnel will still take 5 years if not longer to be finished. Extremely hyped about it though, Amsterdam -> Stockholm in 1 day would be possible then.

[@floris3239]

​@@Simon-Andersenyes, looking forward to the direct Talgo train to Copenhagen. I hope they will start running before the Vogelfluglinie is finished. However, it would also be great if the NS would start running on the route as well. Because I expect the DSB will just run one Talgo train per day.

[@MVHens]

At 2:41, you mention the replacement of the locomotives on the Amsterdam-Brussels service. This is not exactly what will happen (As @nennat already explained in more detail). The carriages will be replaced by Belgian carriages and the service will be cut short and only drive between Rotterdam and Brussels. The new service starting from 15 december 2024, will be using the ICNG material and will be added on top of that. It will drive between Amsterdam-Central and Brussels-South. This means that you will have 2 trains per hour from Brussels to Rotterdam.

[@jfmezei]

The dutch trains run "native" on 1500vdc. I assume on the high speed line it runs on 25kv ac. When running at low DC volatges, you get a lot of fancy electronics modulating the powerr as the train accelerates since changing voltage of DC is "hard work" . Not sure you heard the actual traction motors versus the electronics to modulate the power to the engines. It is an interesting choice by NS to get a regional train. Am guessing travel time to Bruxelles isn't that different, but if NS wants to reach Berlin or Paris, they won't be competitive against true high speed trains. If the trains have no café, it is also an indication they truly intend to limit them to short journeys. I assume a lot of politics were involved in choosing this as a reliable product already in production versus another train that might be faster but offer higher risk and then still having to order Corradias for local services within NL.

[@weeardguy]

You hear the traction electronics paired with some motor noise, which also shows some extra noise coming from the traction electronics (Windings or the rotor always start to vibrate a little). Converting the 25 kV AC down to something more usefull is either done with a transformer or static converter. Considering the size of a transformer (and the fact you will hear the changeover clearly at the places where it is located) I expect this to be a static converter. In this video you will hear the transformer inrush current vibrate the transformer core at the 3:51 mark: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5mwaqV-iL-Cp6c

[@sjokomelk]

@@weeardguy All modern trains use IGBT inverters for driving the traction motors. If you have AC overhead power, it is transformed down to usually 1500V AC. Then rectified to 1500V DC, and fed into an IGBT inverter creating a stable voltage, but variable current and frequency to drive the motors. If you have 1500V DC overhead power, this is fed directly to the IGBT inverter. If you have 3000V DC overhead power, two inverters are coupled in series to the DC bus to utilize the voltage.

[@---David---]

The interior looks nice, especially the part with the mood lighting and airline style seats. The power socket and USB-socket are useful as well. However I'm not sure I would call an average speed of 100km/h a "high speed train", especially since there are quite a few examples of high speed trains that can do over 300km/h or even over 400km/h. In regards to the exterior of the train I would say it's a minor upgrade compared to the old Dog's Head version of the train. I think the double-decker intercities look more futuristic from the outside. They could have made this version look more futuristic as well. A bit of a missed opportunity in my opinion. Compared to the double decker intercity trains you also lose one floor with this train, which could mean some routes could get very crowded if they replace the double-decker with this version. From the perspective of the passenger the interior is definitely an upgrade. It looks comfortable.

[@izzieb]

Did you have to slow down along route, as I understand it the line still has multiple 80km/h speed restrictions on viaducts?

[@happygamer787]

I think this video might have been recorded before the speed limits were introduced.

[@jlust6660]

@@happygamer787 I thought the speed limit was older than these trains

[@happygamer787]

@@jlust6660 Idk, I recall the trains being earlier, Wikipedia says they entered service in April 2023, and I believe that was before the temporary speed limit.

[@puikepuck]

@@jlust6660 The temporary speed limit was only introduced this year. The trains have been in public service for around a year and a half now

[@Shortsssx]

Indeed thats because the viaducts moved with 9 cm in a few years. They are trying to fix it so it will be availible again to drive 200 or 300km/u

[@nathandunnn]

My experience is anything with Alstom traction motors tends to be quite loud inside. Trains with Bombardier motors could aslo be quite loud as well, although Alstom and Bombardier are the same thing now

[@MrBlueBurd0451]

It's funny to hear someone complain about the sounds of the drive system, because I can't get enough of that noise. It makes the vehicle sound more alive than if it were just dead quiet... Something desperately needed since steam isn't running regular service anymore :)

[@Simon-Andersen]

From an enthusiast's perspective, yes, but overall, I'm not sure the average train traveler is happy with it. :P

[@jattikuukunen]

Those sounds come mainly from the inverter that drives the motors.

[@obelic71]

modern multicurrent electric railway stock like the Taurus locomotives can even make a symphony while accelerating.

[@marco23p]

To be pedantic: the sounds are the results of the switching of the motor inverters, but the sounds themselves originate from the traction motors. The traction motors vibrate a bit on the audio frequencies in the motor current.

[@Letsgobyland]

love this one! took it soon after it arrived in Amsterdam

[@SpotterCrazyperson]

This is a great train for the Netherlands and Belgium

[@Simon-Andersen]

I agree!

[@lyramsr]

always extra fun to see you riding a train I am regularly on! hope I run into you at some point haha I would love to have a chat

[@lyramsr]

I actually got to be on a test ride of one of these from antwerp to rotterdam-it was the first day they were allowing regular passengers on! I did not know about this and was very surprised when I got to antwerp and I saw a train heading towards lelystad centrum. I asked for more info at the ticket office and they told me I could ride it if I had a flexible ticket, which I immediately bought as I was heading in the direction anyway. super cool

[@Simon-Andersen]

Feel free to say hi if you ever see me running around with a camera :P

[@briangentle5515]

Just one question; why does it say in the caption that the driver's cab is a problem? Nice video, just wondered about the title page...

[@Simon-Andersen]

It points to the bogie, where the noise was coming from 😅

[@briangentle5515]

@@Simon-Andersen Ah, right, now it's clear. Thanks for showing us. I live in Belgium and am looking to their arrival in Brussels soon. Safe travels!

[@QALibrary]

A the start of the video the station for the outside looks like an office building you find in Central Milton Keynes

[@NaomiClareNL]

I find that the first class seats are better in the ICNG than the Koploper, my favourite train. What I dislike about the ICNG is the fact that at most connections from one car to another there is only one set of doors so there might be more noise from the wheels and outside.

[@przemys4466]

I still think that the ICM (which remains my favourite Dutch train) offers more padding, even in second class.

[@nataliaromanchuk4740]

Really good video

[@marianandnorbert]

Utrecht is def my favourite by far, busiest, biggest station, and I think it looks way better than rotterdam when you actually look at the station hall itself

[@MauriceEscargot]

I agree with you, the hall of Utrecht Centraal is massive and very light and airy, it makes it pleasant to use. Rotterdam Centraal feels kind of dark.

[@samtrak1204]

Thank you I expect new European trains to provide a silky smooth ride on high speed tracks.

[@keithmyerscough697]

I never knew you could get to the roof of Breda! Not that I'm there _that_ often, but often enough to have definitely done so if I would have known.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Next time if you have 5 min to spare!

[@ZambiblasianOgre]

This train really needs more airline seating arrangement. Way too many four-seaters. Otherwise it's nice.

[@czechmatebro]

These trains look very similar to Škoda's Regio/InterPanters, which we have in Czechia, and from my experience they are really nice trains for these kinds of services. Although Panters seem to have better ride quality and nicer sounds.

[@Simon-Andersen]

InterPanter definitely feels like a Czech cousin of these, for sure.

[@Kapparie]

0:05 and 2:51 It was 2013 the V250 was taken out of service, so not 15 but 11 years ago. 🙂 I believe that the 33xx series for Germany will replace the pulled German IC carriages, and were hauled by a Dutch Vectron from the border to Amsterdam (and back).

[@wilcovanwinden6581]

If you mean the IC to Berlin, those will be replaced by this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICE_L

[@Simon-Andersen]

My understanding was that they were problematic pretty much from the get-go when the first ones entered service back in 2009. 😉 I don’t think these are going to take over the Berlin train, as the other commenter points out, but they will run a few hops across the border in Germany to connect with other regional and slower long-distance services there.

[@johanmartijn]

They make the same cracking noises as the RER in Paris

[@morris9973]

even in the current double decker IC's (VIRM) where 'silence - stilte' is shown on the windows, some people will still talk and the conductors are never around, so the silence isn't truly enforced. I don't see how colors are going to make this situation any better for those that actually want to travel in silence. and speaking of double decker trains, I can not understand why the ICNG is a single deck. what am I missing? if we have the same length of VIRM vs ICNG, on 2 decks of say 20m long you can fit more people than a single deck of 20m. why??? can anyone explain this? edit: is the ICNG intended only for the HSL and cross border journeys or something?

[@Tjennicks]

The ICNG is not meant to replace the VIRM double decker type trains. For international travel it is meant to replace the ICRM carriages with seperate TRAXX locomotives (showcased in the beginning of the video) For national travel it is meant to replace the first generations of the ICMM model.

[@weeardguy]

The reason for shorter carriages is as simple as it gets: the carriages are almost all resting on shared bogies (jacobsdraaistellen in Dutch) this means that the turning point is right on top of that bogie, and as that is the connecting point to the next carriage, it does not hold any extra space for passenger or luggage compartments, where VIRM and IRM and all other non-shared bogie setups can utilise the full loading profile at both in between the bogies and beyond the bogies. The maximum length of carriage between the bogies is limited due to turns and is standardised in a loading profile that explicitly states how much a carriage can overhang in turns. The rest is explained by Tjennicks ;)

[@NickBurman]

These are the trains that should have been bought in the first place, not the AnsaldoBredas... The noise is normal, it's related to the traction control system. It's all rather complex to explain in poor words, however the noise (and its pitch) is connected to the frequency of the three-phase power being fed to the traction motors.

[@Koploperdonut91112]

When you close when you go to Amsterdam you can see the line from Lansingerland Zoetermeer to Utrecht Centraal

[@leonlam9419]

As a furture frequent train traveler. I really hate these trains, because it is really not practical. There is simple waayyy to few seats. If you compare with the ICM trains. Especially if you conside IC direct is one of the busiest trainline in the country...

[@leonlam9419]

Though, additonal services such as weelchair or more bice parking area are nice.

[@wilcovanwinden6581]

I think the lighting colours to indicate functions is a bad idea, too many people will have no idea what it means. The only good option to mark a silence zone is big signs on the doors and windows, and that whole "family" area idea should be scrapped entirely. It runs fairly short distances and it's meant to move people in a country where trains are severely overcrowded in the morning and afternoon so configure the interior for capacity and efficiency. Most people in the train do not have conversations with random passengers, it makes no sense to have a "social" area.

[@Simon-Andersen]

I just thought it was mood lights not meant to actually indicate something

[@bigmikeswiss]

Fine review, nice trains. Sadly, the upholstery is on leather (leatherlike) surface, probably for durability and ease of cleaning reasons. The old school plush seatings, helped damping noisy-level. During the trainexploring secti9n, I had the impression, that in red-seated carriages (1st class) the noise was a bit lower. Seems, the whining noise from the traction motors, are always present in almost any make of new railcar train, using modern power/speed regulation. There are reasons, why the concept of powered end cars in trains like TGV or ICE1 have their fans.

[@rideguide]

Look at the length of the train at 7:57, haven't seen many EMU's that long

[@weeardguy]

They are two sets coupled, I hardly ever see a single unit operating, but that's more likely down to the time and area of spotting them (right before the start of the evening peak, at Schiphol airport)

[@JasperJanssen]

@@weeardguyNS *almost* always runs trains consisting of two or three EMUs - the various sizes of EMU (mostly 4 to 6 cars) are more about making the setup flexible than about running single EMU trains.

[@veronicavaes4581]

I thought the ones meant for the belgian tracks had a different paintjob. I also wish I didn't know that.

[@Parakeet-pk6dl]

The NMBS livery consists of graffiti 🙃😉

[@Simon-Andersen]

I think NS changed livery during the progress of getting these, so some have a newer livery and others an older. So it could be the case all the Belgian ones are in the new livery. Perhaps someone who knows more can enlighten us 😅

[@StefanWithTrains]

Here, a future train driver in the Netherlands talking. The ICNG 31xx and 32xx all have the "old" NS livery due to them being ordered earlier. The NS flow livery is applied to both the ICNG-B (33xx) and ICNG-D (33xx) because they were ordered later.

[@maedero05]

ICNG only ride highspeed ? Highspeed ? Concrete rot speed limited to 80 KmH so less fast, haven"t rided it. Old ICM still my favorite !

[@Edy_Cras_Edits]

Kinda underrrated

[@peterdowden7694]

The super-level boarding deserves more recognition ♿️

[@Simon-Andersen]

I should definitely have mentioned that! Oversight on my end

[@las1147]

I can't wait for them to fix all of the issues on the Rotterdam-Schiphol section of the HSL. I think it's ridiculous that they still charge the supplement, even though you hardly ever reach the vmax and the journey takes significantly longer than it did. ps the supplement is only €2,90 during peak hours, it's lower in weekends and the rest of the day

[@MarceldeJong]

The Y in Fyra isn’t pronounced like a U but like the ee in feel And Hollands Diep is also pronounced that way: Hollands Deep.

[@jefwisse1957]

They have build a high speed line from Amsterdam to Brussels in order to reduce the traveling time. Originally this line was laid out for speeds up to 350 km (190 Miles) an hour. The Fyra trains were a disaster and were sold to the manufacturer in Italy. Now these new ICNG trains should replace the Fyra trains and the current material in use on the HS line. These new ICNG trains have a maximum speed of 200 km/h (125 mph) and that's a disgrace in my opinion. That's only 60 km/h (35 mph) faster than standard trains run on the railway network. The other problem is that the quality of the HS line is very poor. Already they had to reduce the speed on several sections of the HS line.

[@Simon-Andersen]

But how much difference does 250 km/h vs. 200 km/h actually make on that line? That’s the question. Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Brussels are all fairly close, so the train spends significant time accelerating and making its way in and out of the cities below 200 km/h It might actually be an okay tradeoff, as these trains will also be introduced on other domestic routes where 200 km/h is already overkill .

[@jefwisse1957]

​@@Simon-Andersen Thalys 2 hours, NS (current trains) 3 hours, difference 1 hour, ICNG probably slightly faster than current NS trains. Probably about 2.5 hours. Difference approximately 0.5 hours!!

[@Conclusius68]

Ah, but this could be politics, you know. A slower ride makes a small country look larger. And you have more time to enjoy the scenic Dutch landscape.😉

[@Simon-Andersen]

@@jefwisse1957 The new ICNG is gonna do Amstrdam Brussels in 2h07m, thalys/eurostar is 1h56. So about 11 min :-)

[@aidenvloggingltd]

When will you do reviews of French trains?

[@Simon-Andersen]

No

[@CristanMeijer]

4:02 It's a shame that there still is a variant without 3kV DC support. I was kinda hoping that all new trains had 3kV DC support, so in the future, after all trains are replaced, we could quite easily switch to 3kV. Oh well, I'm sure that it won't be too hard to retroactively add support for it later-on.

[@RogierYou]

If I only could rely on getting to my destination without drama. The few times I want to take the expensive train there is a strike, works going on forcing you in a bus, someone jumped on the tracks or a power line went down. Oh and once a little bit of winter sets in the network comes to a grinding halt.

[@intersezioni]

In Italy we use it for regional routes. Nothing exciting or exciting

[@Simon-Andersen]

The Coradia platform is very versitile, it can be the most generic train known to man or something very exciting. Similar to Stadlers Flirt model if you're familier with it 😊

[@thewildbunchASD]

As much as the design is all right and resembles the older style Hondekop and similar trains, but i already have seen the problem with the doors in this this train, as it travels through Schiphol, where are not enough high frequency sprinters possible, because the high speed trains travel over the same route to Amsterdam CS. Because this service is supposed to be frequent, but there are not a lot of doors, it takes forever to board at the airport, and at the other end it takes forever to get off the platform as there is only one escalator. While on the other end of the station, where the sprinters from Haarlem terminate, are enough ways to easily enter the city, tge sprinter trains have a lot of doors, and a lot a space. The high speed trains does not need to go to Centraal, but should be terminating or passing through to Utrecht, as Central Station is only a 7 minute metro ride from South. If the line schiphol-amsterdam would only carry Sprinters that also bend off more often to Hoorn/Alkmaar, but mainly to Central every 6 minutes, it would take strain off both that route, and off the high speed train.

[@casparjaeqx8328]

If they plan to go to Belgium i hope that would cut down my time traveling to the south of the country, becues now it takes almost 3 hours to travel from Schiphol to my home town

[@Simon-Andersen]

Depends where you are going. They are gonna be used on the new EuroCity Direct service which will only stop in Amsterdam, Schiphol, Rotterdam, Antwerpen and Brussels

[@Ztbmrc1]

I still have to ride on the ICNG but I heard someone say that the train shakes a lot from left to right, have you experienced that on this ride? I do not like leather seats in general. I live in the south east of the Netherlands and they are looking for an Intercity service from Eindhoven to Aachen in Germany. Maybe the ICNG could be used for that. And I would prefer for that train to continue to Cologne. Btw Diep in Hollands Diep is not pronounced as "Dipe" as you did, but as the English "deep" with a bit shorter "ee" and diep in Dutch means deep in English :)

[@weeardguy]

I can't remember that I noticed some oversignificant rocking motions when I took it last month to go from Rotterdam CS to Schiphol, but than again it was the first time on the thing on an actually interesting journey (I sometimes take them when delays or cancellations arise on my commute from Purmerend to Schiphol and vice-versa, but I than only get to 'enjoy' the Schiphol > Amsterdam CS part which is boring as peep...

[@Simon-Andersen]

I did not find that it shakes more than usual

[@Ztbmrc1]

@@Simon-Andersen Ok good to hear!

[@tengelgeer]

Think they are quite okay but I just don't like the non-fabric seating of the NS, especially on an IC you have to pay extra for...

[@koffiewolf]

so since the 19someting dutch trains have nicnames based of the front of the train you have ''monkeyheads''(Mat64) and ''dogheads''(Mat 54) the fyra trains got the (failed marketing) nickname of snoek or ''snook'' and the new intercity gets the nickname Wasp because of the front but also because the public said the electrical sounds reminds them of how a wasp sounds.

[@SWRural-fk2ub]

I assume that the two coupled trains were partly as a stock move as clearly there was hardly any demand.

[@JasperJanssen]

It’s pretty rare for NS to run single-EMU trains, even in lower-demand times. After all, the high demand times are only 4-6 hours apart so there’s not that much point in decoupling the other half of the train just for the 2 or 3 runs over the whole length of the route that fit between the end of morning peak and the start of afternoon peak.

[@Simon-Andersen]

The train is going to form a roughly 16:00 service back out from Amsterdam, which is most likely going to be packed. As Jasper says, it’s quite often not worth the labor and effort of shunting, decoupling, and recomposing during the day.

[@hansolo2121]

One small mistake you made :) You did not pay "3 Euro" supplement but only 1,74 Euro. You can see this clearly stated on the chipcard supplement reader machine. The 2,90 Euro supplement is applicable during rush hours only. And since you arrived around 15:00 in Amsterdam, you didn't travel during rush hours. During rush hour it is way more busy and therefore a bit more expensive.

[@Simon-Andersen]

Yeah at 2:18 i should probably have said up to 3 euro :-) - I used the app so i actually did pay 3 euros :P

[@arendmookhoek4314]

The internal doors are awful, no way to prevent them from closing onto you if they are already opened by a person passing before, baffling design, especially considering they aren't even necessary

[@hugobouma]

There are plenty of other stations in NL which are objectively uglier, dirtier, less safe, with fewer facilities or in worse states of repair. But none of them make me as viscerally uncomfortable as Breda, where everything is about 20% too big for human scale and everything is covered in the same dystopian dark stone.

[@CristanMeijer]

7:12 I think this amount of legroom in second class is a waste of space. Combined with the fact that this isn't a doubledecker makes this quite an inefficient train to move a lot of people. I might be biased though because I sometimes like to slouch so much my knees go up to the seat in front and that's hard to do with this much space. Amazing train otherwise though.

[@wetenschap123]

New ICNG: - Appearance: beautiful 9/10 - Accessibility: high 7/10 (good for wheelchairs) - Space for rush hour: awful 2/10, prepare to stand for 30+ minutes - Riding on time: no, because of train related problems - Average daily delay: 34% too late. Mostly during rush hour. - working doors: no, breaks often, and even causes more delays in electrical systems. = Experience of daily traffic during rush hour: Most awful experience, I prefer the older (not suited) trains. I traveled daily with this train and sudden cancellations, stops and breakdowns happened almost daily. It happened so regularly I was told to always come 30-45 min early to be on time to work, whilst this would save me those 30 minutes. You also pay extra for this train, meaning you pay more and still arrive at the same time as the long way round. In my opinion, this train and track has failed desperately. The trains were also shorter than the older ones. And while the older one looked like an animal transport, it still had more seats and were longer. BTW did you know that this train can't even ride at full speed? Why, because the track was build wrong and bridges don't have the right support or aged. It is literally a waste of money.

[@HS_Rick]

8:12 looks just like bakje kapsalon 😭😭😭

[@ruawhitepaw]

I was in three of these trains in the last two days, and I absolutely noticed how annoying the motor noise is at the ends of the train!

[@demil3618]

Two good videos about why motors make these sounds: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jIDQaZiGgsxkmqc (quite a fast explanation) kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4Oten2GibqLjqc (slower explanation)

[@mirzaahmed6589]

They charge you a high-speed supplement for a train that averages 100 km/h (62 mph)?

[@LauriraYT]

It’s not just about speed, it’s also about distance saved. If you want to detour via Leiden, your journey will take a large deviation.

[@Simon-Andersen]

It’s a lot quicker than the classic line that takes a big deviation, and the train makes far fewer stops compared to the other lines. This is where it gains its speediness from, not so much from actual high speeds. Dutch intercity trains that don’t travel via the high-speed line are basically glorified interregional trains.

[@autohmae]

Just so you know, your pronunciation of the Fyra train sounds like the German word Führer, when you associate that with train you get a very different association with the past. Maybe that's just me, but you might want to see if you can find an example of a native who help you pronounce it differently.

[@sjokomelk]

The name Fyra is the Swedish word for "4". Meant to represent the four cities that would be connected with the train.

[@autohmae]

@@sjokomelk thanks, is it pronounced correctly in the video ?

[@dsdonovan]

Is the noise issue over the powered bogies fixable?

[@NickBurman]

No, because it's an integral part of the electronics. The noise comes from the control system supplying power from the traction motors. It's rather complex to explain, however it's related to the frequency of the power being fed to the traction motors.

[@mick0matic]

i wish the track was good enough so they could be a bit faster and drive the advertised speeds for longer periods.

[@bas6238]

Its a nice train and all, but it is sooo damnn noisy inside compared with the old "dubble dekker"

[@markgr1nyer]

The lack of sound proofing around the traction motors on a new train is surprising and disappointing. Hopefully they upgrade them in the future

[@joepvoorburg6539]

The seats are terrible for tall people

[@Simon-Andersen]

I had no issues at 187 cm, but that’s probably not tall by Dutch standards. 😄

[@Therealblisie]

I would like to see you trying the SNG, wich is known for the Dutch train community by its bad horrible seats, We call it: 'The backpain express.'

[@ZambiblasianOgre]

I hope they will replace the seats one day with more sturdy and comfortable ones. I can feel the backrests are already wearing out in the SNGs. They're nice trains otherwise I think, but I don't envy anyone commuting for an hour on one.

[@OneKnifeYeHand]

What members of the Dutch train community? Everyone I know, including myself, likes the SNG seats. If you want horrible seats, take an SLT. Those seats are the worst IMO (and everyone I know from the Dutch train community agrees). And mind you, we’re on both SLT’s and SNG’s regularly.

[@OneKnifeYeHand]

@@ZambiblasianOgreThe only things wrong with the SNG’s are the often not working automated announcements (and even when they do work, announcements often get cut off for some reason) and the doors that get jammed very easily and conductors have a hard time getting the doors back to work again.

[@Therealblisie]

@@OneKnifeYeHand I take SNG regulairy so I feel like a grandpa getting out of the SNG and when I enter/sit in a SLT I feel like I just sat in a first class TGV (SLT)

[@Simon-Andersen]

They have seats similar to those used on the UK Class 800 long-distance trains, and it’s safe to say that when the long-distance version is terrible, I won’t have high hopes for the SNG. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIiXlJqHftJ7b80si=dsr7hQVESKmfZhQd

[@16jan1986]

The painting on the fyra train should also be done on the ic4

[@Simon-Andersen]

Now that would be an interesting sight 😂