Key takeaways
- Mat 64 stands for Materieel 1964: the number names the design year, not a class number.
- Plan V and Plan T are internal NS build-plan designations – Plan V two-car, Plan T four-car.
- Apekop is the nickname for the angular front end with its gangway door, and the quickest memory aid.
- 1.5 kV DC ties the type to the Dutch network – you won't encounter it in Germany.
- Historic today: sightings depend on heritage and special workings, not on the timetable.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Electric multiple unit for regional services, now historic |
|---|---|
| Meaning of the designation | Mat 64 = Materieel 1964; Plan V and Plan T are internal NS build-plan designations |
| Configurations | Plan V two-car, Plan T four-car |
| Nickname | Apekop – Dutch for "monkey's head", after the shape of the front end |
| Electrification system | 1.5 kV DC |
| Original operator | Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) |
| Current status | no longer in scheduled service; individual units preserved as heritage stock |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- More angular front end than the Mat 54, with a gangway door in the end wall
- Fixed two-car (Plan V) or four-car (Plan T) sets
- High floor with several entry steps – not a low-floor vehicle
- Current collectors for 1.5 kV DC, no multi-system capability
- Classic NS markings, UIC country code 84
- 1960s design language: flat surfaces, small windows, visible rivet lines
Updated: August 2026 – One vehicle, three names in everyday use: Mat 64, Plan V and Apekop all refer to the same family of electric multiple units in Dutch usage. Once you can tell these three designations apart, you’ve essentially grasped the naming logic of Nederlandse Spoorwegen. This page explains the system, the recognition features and the type’s current, historic status.
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What is the NS Plan V / Mat 64?
The Mat 64 is an electric multiple unit built for Nederlandse Spoorwegen’s regional services. The designation Materieel 1964 names its design year. Within this family, NS distinguishes configurations by its internal procurement plans: Plan V stands for the two-car version, Plan T for the four-car version.
The train runs on 1.5 kV DC, the standard system of the Dutch network. It has since been withdrawn from regular service; the successive Sprinter generations took over its duties. A number of units survive as heritage stock, so sightings depend on scheduled dates rather than timetables. Such stock is maintained, among others, by Museumsbahn S.T.A.R. in the north-east of the Netherlands.
Why one vehicle carries three names
Dutch naming practice looks confusing at first, but it follows a clear order:
- Mat 64 names the generation after the design year.
- Plan V / Plan T name the configuration after the internal procurement plan.
- Apekop is the nickname, derived from the front-end shape with its central gangway door.
This three-way split – generation, configuration, nickname – runs through the whole of Dutch rolling stock. Later vehicles carry a concept abbreviation instead of a year: ICM for InterCity Materieel, SGM for Stadsgewestelijk Materieel, VIRM for Verlengd InterRegio Materieel. The digits attached to these usually give the number of car sets.
Check the end wall
A central gangway door in the front is the strongest single feature. The older Mat 54 has that rounded, closed Hondekop front with no central door.
Count the car sets
Two cars mean Plan V, four cars mean Plan T. In coupled formations, count one additional front end for each further unit.
Look at the doorways
Several steps and a high floor rule out all the modern low-floor Sprinters. The vehicle is clearly from a different era.
If you want to work through such features in a fixed order, the guide to identifying classes sets out an approach that also carries over to vehicles from other countries.
Placing it within railway operations and for spotting
The Mat 64 was a classic regional-service vehicle: many stops, short runs, high reliability requirements. Other vehicles now fill exactly that role. That gives spotting a different strategy compared with vehicles still in scheduled service.
| Situation | Chance of a sighting | What matters |
|---|---|---|
| Announced special working in the Netherlands | high | Check the date and route beforehand |
| Museum and heritage-group sites | high | Mind opening hours and site rules |
| Vehicle gatherings and anniversaries | medium | Often several historic units at once |
| Regular Dutch regional services | ruled out | Sprinter generations run there today |
| German lines | ruled out | Pure DC vehicle for 1.5 kV |
Preservation status can change
Whether a unit is operational depends on certification deadlines, spare parts and workshop capacity. Information from older sources about historic vehicles goes out of date especially quickly – check the current status before any longer trip.
The direct predecessor generation is the NS Mat 54 with its Hondekop front. How regional services developed afterwards is shown by the NS SGMm as the first Sprinter generation; on long-distance services, the NS ICM (Koploper) took over at the same time.
Keep an eye on heritage workings
Other spotters' sightings tell you early when rare vehicles are actually out on the line.
Spotting and documentation
With a vehicle no longer in scheduled service, the emphasis shifts: it’s not the perfect picture that’s in short supply, but the opportunity itself. If you get one, make the most of it.
Show the front and the gangway door
A slight three-quarter angle brings out the characteristic feature. A purely side-on shot loses exactly the information that defines the Apekop.
Document the configuration
A shot showing the whole unit will later answer the question of Plan V or Plan T – relying on memory rarely works well.
Capture the markings
Number, owner code and overhaul stencils are the proof of your sighting and make it findable in your archive later.
Note the context
Occasion, date, location – with historic vehicles that matters just as much as the subject itself.
How to read the full vehicle number and place the country code is explained in the piece on the UIC number and its system. The guide to the sighting log book helps you file your finds properly, and how to approach research into vehicles across the border is covered in the piece on sightings abroad.
Safety comes before the shot
Track, operational railway land and stabling sidings are off limits – even at special events. Stay behind the platform edge and on areas open to the public. On heritage-group sites, the operator's instructions apply without exception.
From the Mat 64 to the Sprinter family: the line of development
The Mat 64 marks a turning point. Before it came vehicles named after their design year; after it, concept abbreviations describing their intended use took hold. This line can be traced cleanly and helps enormously in placing Dutch rolling stock.
The year-number era covers the Mat 54 and Mat 64. The designation says nothing about the vehicle’s role, only about the year it was built. Sub-variants were distinguished by the internal build-plan letters – hence Plan V, Plan T and the further plan designations that were also assigned to carriages.
The concept era begins with abbreviations such as ICM for InterCity Materieel or SGM for Stadsgewestelijk Materieel. Here the purpose is in the name: long-distance services, city-regional services, extended InterRegio stock. The attached digits usually give the number of car sets, as with the VIRM-4 and VIRM-6.
The brand layer came last. “Sprinter” isn’t a vehicle type but the product name for NS regional services. Several completely different types run under this label. So reading the lettering on the train alone doesn’t get you a vehicle identification.
For you, that means a simple checking order: first determine the configuration, then match the abbreviation, and finally ignore the product brand. How to tell product names and vehicle designations apart in general is also covered, for the German market, in the piece on regional and long-distance services from a spotter’s perspective.
Common mix-ups
It points to Mat 64 / Plan V if …
- the front end is angular with a central gangway door
- the unit has two or four car sets
- you board via several steps
- the train is running in a historic context
Look more closely if …
- you only see the side view – then the window layout helps
- the vehicle is in an unfamiliar historic livery
- several older NS multiple units are standing side by side
It's not a Mat 64 if …
- the front end is rounded and closed – more likely a Mat 54
- the train is low-floor with wide double doors
- it's double-decked or used on InterCity services
Verdict
Plan V, Mat 64, Apekop: three names, one vehicle – and a good reason to learn the Dutch naming system properly. Generation by design year, configuration by procurement plan, nickname by front-end shape: this order carries far beyond this one vehicle. Sightings today are a matter of scheduled dates rather than timetables, which makes them all the more valuable for the archive.
In short
An angular front with a gangway door, two or four car sets, 1.5 kV DC: that's the Mat 64. It no longer runs in scheduled service – anyone wanting to document it researches the dates and records the configuration, number and occasion.
Your archive for rare vehicles
Unit number, configuration, location and date in one place – so historic sightings still count for something later.
Summary
- The Mat 64 was the backbone of Dutch regional services for decades before later Sprinter generations took over.
- The NS Plan naming system explains why one vehicle carries several names in everyday use.
- The front-end shape, the gangway door and the number of car sets are enough to identify it.
- Anyone logging a sighting should record the unit number, configuration and occasion – with historic vehicles, context is half the information.
Frequently asked questions
What does Plan V mean at NS?
Plan V is an internal build-plan designation used by Nederlandse Spoorwegen. NS numbered its procurement plans with letters and named the resulting vehicles after them. Plan V refers to the two-car version from the Materieel 1964 family, Plan T to the four-car version. The two belong together technically.
What does Mat 64 mean?
Mat 64 is short for Materieel 1964, meaning rolling stock from the 1964 design year. NS named multiple-unit generations after the year they were designed, just as it had done with the Mat 54. Only later did the railway switch to concept abbreviations such as ICM, SGM or VIRM.
Why is the Mat 64 called Apekop?
The nickname refers to the front end. The central gangway door and the arrangement of the windows give it a face-like look, which in the Netherlands led to the name Apekop (monkey's head). Together with the Hondekop of the Mat 54, it forms one of Europe's best-known nickname pairings.
How do I tell Plan V and Plan T apart?
By the number of car sets: Plan V is two-car, Plan T four-car. The front end, technology and design language are the same. Since units were coupled together in service, the best approach is to count the front ends within the formation – each one marks the start of a new unit.
Does the Mat 64 still run in scheduled service today?
No. The type has been withdrawn from regular service; newer Sprinter generations now run on regional services. Individual units are preserved as heritage stock and appear on special workings. Check the current status before travelling, since preservation projects and dates change constantly.
Can I see the vehicle in Germany?
Not in regular service. The Mat 64 is built for 1.5 kV DC and is therefore tied to the Dutch network. Cross-border services need multi-system vehicles or diesel railcars. At the German border you're more likely to meet vehicles that can handle both electrification systems.
How do I identify the exact unit?
By the unit number marked on the vehicle and the full UIC number. Country code 84 identifies the Netherlands. On historic vehicles the markings aren't always in the current format – in that case the classic NS number on the front and side wall will help instead.
Is the vehicle worth photographing?
Yes, precisely because it has become rare. The angular front with its gangway door is a strong subject, and its documentary value grows every year. Plan for vantage points offset to the side, low light, and at least one close-up of the markings.
Log your sighting of the NS Plan V / Mat 64
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Related classes
NS Mat 54
The NS Mat 54 is nicknamed Hondekop for its rounded front end. Today it's a historic vehicle – and a lesson in Dutch rolling-stock naming.
EMUNS SGMm (Sprinter)
The SGMm is the multiple unit that gave the term Sprinter its name in the Netherlands. Its abbreviation gives away its purpose: city-regional services.
EMUNS ICM (Koploper)
The ICM is the classic intercity multiple unit of the NS. Its nickname Koploper reveals the design principle: a walk-through gangway right through the front.
EMUNS DDZ
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EMUNS SLT (Sprinter Lighttrain)
The SLT is one of the multiple units that defines Dutch regional services. Its abbreviation stands for Sprinter Lighttrain, and the number gives the count of car sets.
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