Long-distance train journey from Switzerland to the Netherlands
- Mike
- Nov 4, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 18
[November 4th]
It's a day when I have to travel by train for nine hours, but this morning is a beautiful sunny day. Am I a rain man? There isn't a single cloud in the sky, as if mocking me.
I took the train an hour earlier than planned and arrived at Basel SBB, where I was sitting inside the station, and the scenery here wasn't much different from that in Japan.
The train that was an hour earlier was a blessing in disguise, but my decision to take the scheduled train at this station was a big mistake, as I would later learn the truth.
The plan was to take a train directly from Germany into the Netherlands.
Shortly after boarding the reserved express train, the train made a long stop (about 2 hours) just before Haltigen station. The next departure time was 12:46, but the train was delayed.
Even though we had just entered Germany, the train was moving on and off for about an hour.
A firefighter is walking outside.
Was there something wrong with this train?
It's not announced like in Japan.
There was an announcement once, but when I used a translation tool, there was no explanation as to why it was delayed, it just said that it was delayed.
The lights and power inside the car were out!
It normally takes nine hours, but it looks like the arrival will be significantly delayed.
In this country, there is no departure signal like in Japan, and no announcements as to why the departure is delayed.
With this delay I was worried about my next flight in Frankfurt, but on the other hand I felt that the German people were not in such a hurry and that time was passing slowly.
I guess in Japan we are so used to living a life that is measured by the minute.
I finally arrived in Cologne, but it was already 10pm and I began to worry whether I would be able to reach Rotterdam that day.
I searched for an alternative route on the app and found that the route to Rotterdam via Brussels would get me there by the end of the day, so I got on the train without any doubts (red arrow in the image above).
However, the train is the "Eurostar," which is the equivalent of the Shinkansen in Japan.
As a result, I ended up paying a large fare for the ride on the day.
I paid about 20,000 yen for two Eurostar trips from Cologne to Brussels to Rotterdam. However, it was inevitable because it would cost more money and take longer if I didn't arrive in Rotterdam by today.
We arrived in Rotterdam after a planned 9-hour delay, but ended up arriving about 6 hours late, making the train journey a full day and a half (15 hours) (sobs).
I came across a strange sight at a station along the way. Smoking is prohibited on German trains, but it is permitted on station platforms, so people who wanted to smoke were smoking on the platform when the train was stopped for a short time.
summary
When using German railways, you should limit train journeys to less than five hours, rather than traveling long distances in one day.
When looking for a detour, it's a good idea to consider using long-distance buses (such as Flex) in addition to trains.
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