More Buses and Trains Now Running in Groningen
New schedules add early and late services, with improved weekend options for buses and trains.
As of Sunday, new public transport schedules are in place across Groningen and Drenthe, with more buses and trains running early in the morning and late at night. These changes aim to better meet passenger needs, especially during weekends and busy times.
Changes to Train Services
NS has added new train services, including an early morning intercity train to The Hague, departing at 5:18 AM. The last train to Zwolle now leaves later at 11:19 PM from Sunday to Thursday, with an even later departure at 11:49 PM on Fridays and Saturdays.
However, the last two trains from the Randstad no longer stop at smaller stations like Haren and Groningen Europapark after Zwolle. To cover these stations, NS has introduced late-night sprinter trains. A new peak-hour train between Groningen and Assen has also been added, leaving Assen at 6:18 PM. One peak-hour service in the opposite direction has been removed due to track space limits.
Arriva’s train schedule has remained mostly unchanged, with only minor shifts in departure times.
New Bus Timetables
Qbuzz has made changes to bus services to meet growing weekend demand:
Line 178 (Siddeburen – Groningen): Extra early trips on Saturdays.
Line 1 (Reitdiep – Zernike – Centrum – Main Station): Buses now run four times an hour on Saturday afternoons.
Line 65 (Zoutkamp – Winsum – Groningen): Frequency has doubled to two trips per hour on Saturdays.
The Van Ketwich Verschuurbrug stop is back in use, serving Qliners from Assen, Emmen, and Stadskanaal. Larger buses are temporarily being used on line 15 (Main Station – Zernike), reducing its frequency slightly during the late morning.
What’s Next?
Bigger changes are planned for July 2025 after renovations at Groningen’s Main Station. Arriva will introduce direct train routes, including connections between Veendam, Delfzijl, Winschoten, and Roodeschool, skipping the station as a terminus. An express train between Groningen and Zwolle is also expected later in 2025.
For full details on the updated schedules, passengers can visit the Qbuzz and NS websites.