Maastricht has three train stations: Maastricht Noord in Limmel/Nazareth, Maastricht Central station in Wyck/city centre and Maastricht Randwyck, in Heer/Randwyck. Trains leave from Maastricht Randwyck to Maastricht Noord via Maastricht Central station at least twice an hour – the same goes for the other way. Maastricht Central Station has the most international connections to Belgium (Liège) and national connections to all the parts of the country including Amsterdam and Utrecht. The trains departing to Belgium also stop at the Randwyck station.
The Randwyck train station is located right in front of the FHML and FPN campuses.
If you want to travel within the Maas-Rhine Region you can take one of the Arriva trains. Arriva is providing regional public transport within the whole Euregio Maas-Rhine, which expands well into Germany and Belgium. You can plan a trip here.
When travelling by train using your OV-chipcard, always remember to “tap-in” and “tap-out” on the platform before getting on to your train. Train stations have both NS and Arriva stands where you can check-in and check-out with your OV-chipcard. If you are switching from NS to Arriva or vice versa, remember to tap-out of one carrier and tap-in onto the next one.
Where can I book train tickets?
If you arrive in a Dutch airport, you can use the official NS website to book train tickets or check schedules. In addition to buying tickets online, you can also buy them directly from the train station from the blue and yellow NS ticket machines.
If you’re arriving to a Belgian airport and want to get to Maastricht, use SNCB International to get tickets. Lastly, if you’re arriving at a German airport, train tickets can be found from the Deutsche Bahn website. If you’re under the age of 26, be sure to use the youth discount they offer to get your tickets for cheaper!
How do I plan my journey?
Within the Netherlands, 9292.nl is the best journey planner for public transport. You can fill in where you need to go and it will tell you how to get there using the quickest buses, trains or both. You can also try the tool provided by Arriva Transport or the NS journey planner. Bear in mind, however, that the NS journey planner doesn’t include buses. To find a bus stop near you, check this map for an overview of the Arriva bus stops in Maastricht. Google Maps is also a handy option to check routes out!
What is the Go Pass?
If you are travelling from Belgium to Maastricht, you should definitely check out the Go Pass 1 Maastricht! This is a special ticket which allows you to travel between Maastricht and any station in Belgium for only €6.60 if you are under the age of 26. However, do be aware that you may have to pay a bit extra in order to get to the airport stations.
Long-distance trains
If you want to board a train to travel longer distances, for example if you decide to go to Amsterdam, you will have to take one of the trains provided by the national railroad company NS. The trains to other cities depart mainly from the Central station. There is a direct connection to Amsterdam Centraal which takes approximately 2.5 hours. If you are travelling to one of the airports near Maastricht, check out how you can get there from here.
