Commuters beware: Train service reduced for Thursday storm

A full slate of train cancellations were announced on Thursday due to severe storms expected to hit the country. Crowded trains and longer travel times were likely to be a nuisance for many commuters, the national railway NS said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon, advising train riders to follow service updates online for the latest information.

Fewer trains will run than a normal work day to allow the workers more space to quickly manage any problems as they develop on the tracks, the NS said. Domestic travelers can expect a particularly uncomfortable rush hour, with the prospect of needing to change trains more frequently than on a normal day.

"We advise travelers with a foreign destination to travel earlier, to plan more time for a possible transfer, and they can make use of Intercity Direct at no extra charge," the NS said.

Intercity and Sprinter trains will be affected on many routes for the entire day, with several routes only reduced during rush hour. Trains that roll along the high speed line from Rotterdam to Breda were to be diverted because of the high winds, with a stop added in Dordrecht.

The Dutch railroad management firm ProRail took the blame earlier this month for havoc on the railways during the December winter storm that saw several centimeters of snow blanket most of the Netherlands. ProRail acknowledged it had not been well prepared for the winter weather storms late last year.

In addition to the train cancellations, 230 flights scheduled to takeoff or land at Schiphol Airport on Thursday were cancelled because of the expected storm.

Fewer Intercity trains the entire day between:

Alkmaar or Schagen – Amsterdam – Utrecht - Sittard
Amersfoort – Deventer
Amsterdam – Den Haag CS
Amsterdam – Rotterdam/Breda, Intercity direct
Den Haag CS – Breda
Breda – Dordrecht
Dordrecht – Lelystad Centrum
Den Haag CS – Utrecht
Nijmegen – Utrecht – Schiphol
Rotterdam – Utrecht

Fewer Sprinter trains the entire day between:

Almere – Hilversum
Amsterdam – Breukelen
Amsterdam – Hoofddorp
Amsterdam – Uitgeest
Arnhem – Nijmegen
Den Haag CS – Dordrecht
Den Haag CS – Gouda Goverwelle
Den Haag CS – Leiden
Groningen - Assen
Nijmegen – Wijchen
Utrecht – Woerden

Fewer Intercity trains during rush hours between:

Vlissingen – Roosendaal
Enkhuizen – Amsterdam

Fewer Sprinter trains the entire day between:

Rotterdam – Gouda Goverwelle
Alphen ad Rijn – Leiden
Utrecht – Houten Castellum
Oss – ’s Hertogenbosch
Veenendaal C – Utrecht – Breukelen

Additional diversions:

Rotterdam - Breda: Intercity Direct delayed, diverted with stop in Dordrecht
Utrecht - Almere: no direct trains. Travel via Weesp