No trains to Schiphol, Amsterdam Centraal as snow blankets the country
All train traffic to and from both Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Centraal was halted Monday evening as snow continuously fell upon the region beginning just after noon. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at the airport, according to local broadcaster AT5. Large lines formed at the taxi rank there, while wait times for Uber vehicles was in the double digits.
The airport was setting up cots for people forced to sleep at the airport, broadcaster NOS reported.
Dutch railway service NS said "multiple disruptions" forced the cancellation of trains at Amsterdam's main railway station. Switching failures between Schiphol and Hoofddorp led to major problems for air passengers.
The rail service did not know how long it would take to restore service. Earlier in the evening the NS said it expected to attempt normal operations on Tuesday morning, but with 15 centimeters of snowfall in some parts of the country it could be a challenge. "Extra staff will therefore be deployed tonight," the NS said in a statement.
It's a continuation of a day of headaches for drivers, as well as public transit passengers and those taking to the skies. Dutch drivers set a record on Monday with over 2,500 kilometers of traffic, while public transit was shuttered or severely hampered in several cities. Over a third of all flights at Schiphol were cancelled on Monday.
Major train issues were also reported along the entire route from Den Haag to Utrecht, and from Utrecht to both Leiden and Baarn. There were no trains to or from Haarlem on Monday evening. All of these issues were likely to be resolved between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
However, trains between Utrecht and both Amersfoort and Hilversum could take much longer. Service was also seriously disrupted around Deventer, Lelystad, and Zwolle.
A reduced train schedule was in place beginning Monday with expectations that the snow would cause problems, and those problems already began to mount by morning rush hour.. "Take longer travel times, extra transfers, and crowded trains into account," the NS warned on Monday evening.
The NS asked passengers to follow its website, app, and social media channels for up-to-date service information.
