Train chaos in R'dam, Hague

There will be no trains running in and around The Hague for some time, and in Rotterdam there are large-scale disruptions.

The NS announced on Twitter that reparations have to be done at switches on the tracks. Since this morning, to and from Rotterdam there is limited traffic, and to and from The Hague none at all.

There is no sign of normal schedules yet. The NS website reports disruptions at The Hague, Rotterdam and around Zwolle-Assen and Leeuwarden as well.

Twitter also hints to a possible strike at ProRail. Travelers are said to have heard from conductors that the emergency reparations are a vague excuse, and that the train traffic is actually disrupted at more cities in the Randstad.

There are also complaints about unclear communication from the NS. Twitter user Bertvandeweert1 tweeted @Ns_online: "No broken switches, but just a wild strike ProRail. But this is just being professionally swept under the carpet."

A spokesperson for ProRail is denying this, in a message to nrc.nl.

"There is absolutely no talk of a strike. Four switches are momentarily out of use because parts are being changed with urgency. It concerns crossings around The Hague and Rotterdam.

"At this moment it is difficult to say how long the works will take. We are doing everything we can to guarantee safety" the spokesperson said.

Roel Berghuis, of the trade union FNV Spoor, confirms this message to the NOS and RTL. He also said that the problems arose due to a sudden halt in train traffic. Traffic controllers were not able to correct this because the reparations that needed to be done on switches were very serious.