Train
Train lines in the Maastricht Region are operated by Arriva and Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS. The trains are cashless, which means that tickets must be purchased online in advance (single journey or season pass), via a ticket machine at a train station. You can also travel with an OV-chipkaart
(public transport pass) or check in and out using OVPay with your
contactless debit card, credit card or mobile phone.
The majority of travellers in the region use the OV-chipkaart system. If you use the train infrequently you can check in and out with OVPay using your contactless debit card, credit card or mobile phone.
Train timetables can be found at train stations, either in print at the bus stop or on LED displays at larger interchanges. Train timetables can also be found online at the Arriva and NS websites as well as 9292.nl – a source of live travel information across all public transport in the Netherlands.
Children
Children up to 4 years of age travel free on buses, trams, trains and metro in the Netherlands, and tickets for children from 4-11 can be purchased at a reduced rate. Children from 4-11 who are travelling accompanied by persons 12 or older can travel for free on Dutch public transport in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany using the Kids Vrij season pass. Children 4-11 must carry their own registered (yellow) OV-chipkaart, on which the KidsVrij pass is digitally uploaded.
Cross-border trains
The Aachener Straßenbahn und Energieversorgungs-AG – ASEAG operates local transport in the city and municipal region of Aachen, Germany. Aachen’s combined transport authority (Aachener Verkehrsverbund – AVV) services the municipal regions of Aachen, Düren and Heinsberg. In this whole AVV district, common fare rates apply for the use of buses or trains on all AVV bus routes and, with no restrictions, also in second class on all local Deutsche Bahn commuter trains.
In Belgium NMBS/SNCB manages the train network on a national level. The MOBIB-card has replaced old magnetic cards and paper tickets and is available for purchase online or at any Belgian railway station. There is a small fee for the MOBIB-card and it is valid for 5 years, and travellers can load on any kind of ticket or season pass. Children under 6 years travel free while 6–12 year olds can travel free under some adult passes, or pay for a child’s pass.
International trains
The Maastricht Region provides connections to high speed rail networks by providing passengers with easily accessible connections within the Euregio Meuse-Rhine:
- High speed connections to Germany (ICE) at Liège Guillemins station and Aachen station
- High speed connections to Paris (Thalys) at Liège Guillemins station and Brussels
- High speed connections to London (Eurostar) at Brussels
-
To Vienna and Berlin with the Nightjet, overnight train at Liège Guillemins station or Brussels