Amsterdam subway recreated in forest for terror drills

The Ministry of Defense has constructed a very thorough National Training Center in the forests of Vught. The terrain at the Van Brederode Barracks is fully equipped with visual aids to help train aid workers, police and Defense for threatening situations with as much realism as possible, the Algemeen Dagblad reports. Defense has even re-created the Amsterdam underground metro station Weesperplein, including escalators, ticket machines and platforms. According to the NOS, these new facilities are a direct result of the bomb attacks at train stations in Madrid in 2004. In The Netherlands, the government has also stated the discovery of mustard gas in Ede and the big fire at the Shell refinery in Moerdijk as reasons why this Center was very necessary. Website Wij Zuid Holland (We South Holland) writes that the center is concentrated on teaching the necessary skills to combat CBRN threats. CBRN stands for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear. Besides a complete metro station, the Center also has a post office, a drugs lab, an airplane cabin and a restaurant. There is also a collapsed building, and a training house with around 25 different available rooms. The Center even prepares trainees for different infrastructural circumstances with a rail line with wagons, and roads that are hardened or still soft. To help trainees in fire situations, the temperature at the station can be turned up to a sweltering 35 degrees. "The warmth has an enormous effect on how you have to work", fireman Merno Scharlot tells the NOS. This state of the art training center has cost around €6 million to build. It will facilitate training programs for aid workers, police officers, soldiers and firemen. The National Training Center will be officially opened on the 27th of November.

Vught heeft eindelijk een metro- een station. #Oefencentrum #NOS pic.twitter.com/VMD86Slgu4

— ᙅᕼIᙓᒪᔕᑭOT (@ChielSpot) September 30, 2014

Wauw! In Vught gaat Nederland trainen op calamiteiten als aanslagen en grote branden. Foto's: http://t.co/7ao5jeV6ox pic.twitter.com/S3ZeiqWBGO

— Omroep Brabant (@omroepbrabant) September 30, 2014