📋 Tender Overview
Visitors to four major skating events in Thialf can travel by train again this winter.During events in December 2026 and January 2027, the Sprinter between Leeuwarden and Zwolle will stop at Heerenveen IJsstadion station.The province of Fryslan, the municipality of Heerenveen and NS are following up on the successful trial last spring.
During two skating events in the spring of 2026, trains stopped at Thialf on a trial basis.The results were positive.That is why the parties involved have decided to have the train stop again at Heerenveen Ice Stadium station during four major skating events this winter.The province of Fryslan and the municipality of Heerenveen jointly pay the costs of these extra train stops. Thialf and skating are part of Fryslan. Its a good thing that we dont take the train to Thialf. In this way we make major skating events more accessible and offer visitors an attractive alternative to the car, said deputy Matthijs de Vries.
Four skating eventsThe train stops at Thialf during the World Cup (4 to 6 December), the National Championships Allround and Sprint (27 and 28 December), the European Championships Allround and Sprint (8 to 10 January) and the National Distance Championships (22 to 24 January). On these days, the Sprinter between Leeuwarden and Zwolle stops every half hour in both directions at Heerenveen IJsstadion station.In addition, the trains will also continue to stop at Wolvega and Steenwijk stations.The trains stop at Thialf from approximately one to two hours before the start of the days program until one to two hours afterwards. Luutzen Stellingwerff, Regional Director NoordOost at NS: Last spring we saw that visitors found the train to Thialf easy. It is great that we can now follow up on this together with the province, municipality and Thialf and stop at Heerenveen Ice Stadium at four major skating events this winter. This means that even more skating enthusiasts can enjoytravel comfortably and easily by train to Thialf.
Looking to the future With the extra train stops, the parties involved want to make traveling by public transport to Thialf more attractive.The existing railway line will also be used better.The province of Fryslan, the municipality of Heerenveen and NS are investigating, together with other parties involved, how train stops at major events can remain possible in the future.
