Train stoppage caused by IT failure: Travel assoc.

Utrecht Centraal lost all train traffic for the second time in two weeks due to a major system failure and travelers' association Rover has demanded that ProRail makes some changes. Trains at Utrecht Centraal were at a total standstill on Monday from 8:00 a.m., leaving scores of passengers stranded at the station until train traffic partially resumed just after midday. A similar situation took place only on January 22. The cause of the problem has been identified as a malfunction in ProRail's computer network. Rover finds it unacceptable that a technical fault can have such an extreme impact, and says the ProRail Board must intervene. "This is no longer an incident, it is a structural problem", Rover Chairman Arriën Kruyt said in a statement. "It is now high time to intervene directly in the IT department of ProRail. Mucking about is not an option." The association says that the processes and systems at ProRail are incapable of dealing with errors in a way that prevents such a massive effect. Rover is demanding a solution to future failures, so that Monday's incident is not repeated.