On Monday 18 February was Assen the destination. Today and the few days after no trains between Assen and Groningen. Again an sunny day, so I had my doubts about good pictures. My fear was not necessary. The buses arriving at Assen against the sun. Which means good for me to take pictures. Not only these train-buses, bus also the Qbuzz and Arriva buses were victim of my camera.

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I planned one and a half hour in Assen as Zwolle was also on the time table. The new busstation, the new bus bridge over the railway tracks and the buses replacing the trains to Marienberg had to be seen as well.

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On my way back there was a stop over at Amsterdam RAI to take pictures of the buses for the Household fair. A seperate blog will be spent on this event.

Sunday 17 February, full sun. With a Kruidvat ticket and upgrade plan was to explore a bit South Limburg and especially the Arriva trains there. Sometimes due to the sun, taking good pictures was very difficult.

By Intercity to Roermond. On purpose I did not continue to the station of Echt right away. In Roermond I used the half hour for some pictures.

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I made a mistake. I thought that Echt had tow platforms on both sides of the track. In contrary. The platform is between both tracks. Nevertheless I got off the train to spent half an hour for taking pictures.

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With the next train I reached Maastricht. No many buses due to Sunday. On various lines the electric buses were seen.

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Since I deviated from the planning, I was too early in Maastricht. I decided to go by line 350 to Gulpen. There on the busstation I could take some pictures and have a small lunch.

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After half an hour and with some food in the stomac I went by line 59 to Heerlen via small villages. This time it was a small bus from the company TCR with number 591. The driver hurried to Heerlen.

Heerlen station is still under construction and for me the most depressive station in The Netherlands.

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The Intercity brought me in three hours back home.

In the weekend 16/17 February plus Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 there are railroad works. During the weekend between Hoogeveen-Groningen and Zwolle-Marienberg and on Monday/Tuesday between Assen-Groningen and Zwolle-Marienberg.

On Saturday 16, using again a Kruidvat ticket plus upgrade to 1st Class I travelled first to Hoogeveen for the pictures of the train-replacement buses but also of the regular Qbuzz and Syntus buses.

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After more than one hour I travelled by line 30 to Hardenberg.

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From Hardenberg by Arriva train to Marienberg as from there buses must be used to get into Zwolle. Again I stayed there one hour.Time enough for some pictures.

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By bus I continued to Zwolle.

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Leaving Zwolle to Lelystad and Amersfoort was not possible due to an accident and repair-works. The announcement was mentioning that it was only possible to travel to Lelystad or Amersfoort after a couple of hours. I decided to go back to Hoogeveen. Why not?

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After half an hour back to Zwolle. Today is really the last day of the busstation on the center side of the station. I took the opportunity to make a small tour. Few buses on this time on Saturday afternoon.

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Finally the line to Lelystad and further was open. By first available train I travelled back home. I was satishfied.

Via internet/you tube I understood that for 11.50 eur one can by a day ticket to explore the lines of Region IJsselmond. There were various reasons to go there. I still needed pictures of the buses there and it was the last week of line 79 Meppel-Blauwe Hand vv.

On this Monday morning 12 februari the sun was shining, but still a fresh wind. OK it is still beginning februari. There must be ice and snow! By train till Lelystad center. When I left the station it started raining, heavily! But I went out to take pictures of the Arriva citiy buses and the Region IJsselmond bus I was going to take to get to Emmeloord.

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Line 140 to Emmeloord busstation. Planned one hour for the necessary pictures. Also one of the Qliner of Arriva to Groningen.

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After one hour I boarded line 71 to Marknesse and from there by line 75 to the station of Steenwijk. There was time enough for pictures and lunch.

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With line 70 via Giethoorn (various Chinese were travelling on the bus) to Blauwe Hand. I had to wait almost 15 minutes on line 79. Blauwe Hand is a busstation in the middle of nowhere.

Via a nice route the bus brought me to Meppel. During the ride passengers were boarding. I was asking myself who they would travel after next Sunday

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With Syntus 40, the route through Staphorst, I arrived in Zwolle. next Sunday the old busstation would be closed. Since I did not know if I would come back here before Sunday I took various pictures.

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So, I came back home with again many pictures on the memory card.

The drugstore Kruidvat had an offer of cheap train tickets. One full day by train for EUR 16.50. If you make a roundtrip Haarlem-Maastricht for a normal ticket you pay three times this price. I decided to buy a few of those tickets. You do not get a paper ticket but a code. On the site of the Dutch railways you can make a code valid for travel. Upon validating a code, the site offers an upgrade to first class for only Eur 4. So, I did the upgrade and used the first code for 11 februari on a round trip Haarlem-Zwolle-Enschede-Haarlem.

The weather was rainy or just cloudy with lots of wind(again) . The first stop was Harderwijk station. On Sundays, Syntus does not use a big bus on a certain route but transport on demand. It is called Kolibrie. The service is executed by a normal car. I found out that I could see a kolibrie in Harderwijk.

Next to this Kolibrie, also big buses of Region IJsselmond and Syntus were there.

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After half an hour i continued to Zwolle. The Double Decker was quite empty on this Sunday morning.. In Zwolle my train the Enschede left from platform 9. A picture before boarding of course.

Keolis 7305 brought me to Enschede. Here I was able to make pictures of the DB-diesel trains to Germany and of course form the red Syntus buses.

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The ICMm 4042 of NS ws used to travel to Hengelo. On Sunday’s the number of buses are limited. What I could see was the Eurobahn train to Bad Bentheim and beyond.

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I waited till 15 hours. The time the IC Berlin to Amsterdam would pass. Travelling first class I stayed on the train until Amsterdam.

Around 17.30 I turned the key in the door of my house. Back with sufficient pictures to upload.

Today, Saturday 09 September 2019, Pro-rail planned for this day (and Sunday)railroad works between Leiden and Haarlem/Schiphol Airport. Train replacement buses are buses from touringcar companies. So, I went from Haarlem to Leiden which such a bus. There during one hour, in a very cold wind I stayed on the busstation to take pictures of these special buses. Here a few a of them.

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At a certain moment I saw all te buses for this morning. I did not return home but took Arriva line 187 and changed at Boskoop station into bus 186 with destination Gouda.

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In Gouda I saw for the first time the R-net buses of Arriva for the line 497 to Schoonhoven.

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With line 497 I travelled to Schoonhoven. Here I took a picture of the former West Nederland garage and waited for the neighbourhood bus 505 for IJsselstein.

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Line 505 has a very nice route along the rivier The Vlist. And with the sun shining it made the trip to a pleasant one. Arriving at IJsselstein Binnenstad I waited for the tram to Nieuwegein and later onwards to Utrecht

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After arrival in Utrecht it was time to take the last pictures. Then diner in de station bistro and back home.

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On Monday 4 February a new trip was made. By train first to ‘s Hertogenbosch for a quick round at the busstation. Pictures hereunder.

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Then onward with a transfer from IC train to Sprinter at Eindhoven to the next destination Helmond. See the pictures below.

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Then with line 23, Hermes bus 3357, via villages like Milheeze and Sint Anthonis through the Brabant country to Boxmeer. As it is Monday, Arriva runs every fifteen minutes to Nijmegen and to Venlo or Venray. Also schoolbusses are to be seen. Hereunder the selection of the pictures taken.

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After one hour taking pictures of bus and train, I continued to Nijmegen. Before returning home pictures of various Breng buses were taken.

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As can be seen from the pictures. It was cloudy and later in Nijmegen it started to rain.

“The next day, 3 February the weather was much better.By train first to Amersfoort. Here at this morning it was Sunday’s rest. So a few buses.

I decided to take bus 102. Via Voorthuizen, Wittenberg en Nieuw Millingen to Apeldoorn. Also here because of Sunday limited number of buses.

Arriva train brought me to Zutphen. Here I saw various trains and Arriva buses.

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Arriva runs on Sunday’s during the day every half hour fro Zutphen to Winterswijk and back. I took this till the station of Ruurlo. On the way the train passed Vorden. he station building is completed abandoned and the windows are covered with wooden plates.

In Ruurlo with line 23 to Doetinchem. On workdays Breng runs next to Arriva between Doetinchem and Arnhem. Bus now on Sunday, three sets were on a track apart waiting for Monday.

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With the Arriva train I continued to Arnhem. Sunday, so limited number of buses here as well.

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With the Flirt 2209, calling at Oosterbeek and Wolfheze to Ede=Wageningen were this train returns back to Arnhem.

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With the Connexxion Protos train back to Amersfoort were it started this morning.

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With enough pictures I travelled back to Haarlem. After all a good day.

On Saturday 2nd February The secondary lines Groningen-Roodeschool and Groningen-Delfzijl was on the list to visit. Mainly to take pictures on various stations.

The trains to Delfzijl and Groningen are leaving Groningen with 5 minutes after each other. I planned on the first on to take picture of the second on at station Groningen Noord. Unfortunately my Intercity from Zwolle was delayed with 5 minutes, so I could caught the second one.

The first stop was Groningen Noord. Reason was that shortly after my arrival the trains from Delfzijl and Roodeschool were passing this station on their way to Groningen. And also various Qbuzz city busses pass this station. So two flies in one go.

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After one hour I continued to the next station Sauwerd. Right after the station the line split in two. The line right goes to Delfzijl and the other one straight on goes to Roodeschool-Eemshaven. Here I stayed also one hour and took various pictures. The weather was cloudy and thus ideal for the pictures. With sun you have those unwanted shadows.

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After Sauwerd the first stop was Roodeschool. My train continued to Eemshaven. A few times a day the train does not turn in Roodeschool but goes to Eemshaven to connect to the ferry to the German islands. Roodeschool had no real station. It is just a platform and a parking lot in ‘the middle of nowhere’. Qbuzz passes here with line 41 which runs between Appingedam and Uithuizen. On Saturday’s taxicompany UVO runs the services with an 8-person minibus. Today, on the cloudy/foggy day you are feeling alone in the wide country. Even the electric windmills could not be seen. I was the only passenger on the train when it arrived in Roodeschool

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With line 41 to Appingedam busstation. This is annex garage and still the same as in the time GADO buscompany was here. I took pictures and walked to the railway station to take the train to Delfzijl. The end of the line Groningen-Delfzijl.

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In Delfzijl I stayed half an hour. Just to take pictures and to eat a nice souffle in the small restaurant (owner Antillian women?)

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After half an hour I boarded the train and went non-stop back to Groningen. Here some pictures of the various buses and trains.

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With loads of pictures travelled back home 1st class.

On 28 January 2019, I went to tour around in the area of Connexxion-Haaglanden. Connexxion Haaglanden services the area between Zoetermeer-Delft-Den Haag- Hoek van Holland and Schiedam. Medio 2019 EBS will replace Connexxion here. So indeed time to visit.

First stop was Zoetermeer Centrum West. Arriving their by Randstadrail from station The Hague Laan van NOI

By RET bus onwards to station Rodenrijs where I boarded Randstadrail metro RET line E.

I stayed on board this metro till Rotterdam Zuidplein. Here I stayed for a while for the necessary pictures

From Rotterdam Zuidplein via Rotterdam Centraal, for lunch, to Schiedam. Here starts Connexxion Haaglanden line 36 to Naaldwijk busstation.

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After one hour continued with line 36 to Den Haag Leyenburg

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This was the last spot before going home.