Sprinter (Netherlands)

'Sprinter' is the name that the Dutch rail operator NS uses for its stopping train service.

Different types of train provide the 'Sprinter' train services, but the smart New Generation trains, operate virtually all of the services which link the major towns and cities in North and South Holland

Sprinter services fall into two broad categories:
(1) Branch line trains in both urban and rural areas.
(2) The stopping trains on the main lines.

Sprinter services vs Intercity services

This second group of services often share the main lines with the faster Intercity trains.
The Intercity trains will skip most of the stations between cities - but the Sprinter trains call at every station.

Over shorter distances such as Delft ↔ Rotterdam or Den Haag, or Amsterdam ↔ Haarlem, the difference in journey times between the InterCity and Sprinter trains will be marginal, so it won't particularly matter which train you take.

However, over longer-distance routes such as Utrecht ↔ Zwolle, Amsterdam ↔ Amersfoort and Haarlem ↔ Den Haag, you can save 10 minutes or more of travel time by taking the Intercity trains and the tickets won't be any more expensive

The latest New Generation trains, which are used on the majority of Sprinter services to/from Amsterdam, Den Haag, Rotterdam and Utrecht, have level boarding from the platform.
So steps do not have to be used when boarding or moving through the trains.

In contrast steps have to be used when boarding and alighting from the trains used for the Intercity services.
So if both Sprinter and Intercity services are available on the route you want to take and you would rather have easier boarding, target the Sprinter trains.

NS is the national railway operator in The Netherlands and it doesn’t allow bicycles to travel on any of its trains between 06:30 – 09:00 and 16:00 – 18:30 on Monday-Friday – except during July and August when there are no time restrictions.

Bikes can be taken on board any train at any other time, including weekends, if you purchase a bike pass for €6.90 - this pass known as a ‘Fietskaart Dal’ has a flat rate price, so it doesn’t matter how far you will be travelling.

An unusual feature of travelling with a bike on NS trains is that tandems can also be taken on board.

Bikes can only be placed in the dedicated bike spaces and because they can’t be reserved, there’s no guarantee that room will be available.
Although neither your train ticket, or bike pass, will be restricted to specific departures, so if need be you can simply take the next train – most routes have departures at least every 30 mins.