Train schedule largely back to normal after massive storm

After a massive storm did large amounts of damage to the Dutch railways on Thursday, NS and ProRail expect that trains will mostly run according to schedule on Friday. Repair work is still being done on some routes and there may be some last minute changes to the train schedule today. NS advises passengers to check the travel planner shortly before departure and to keep an eye on the information boards at train stations.

Seven disruptions are reported on the NS site. No trains are running between Schiphol Airport and Leiden Centraal due to broken overhead lines. NS hopes to have this restored by 10:30 a.m. In the meantime, buses are deployed between Leiden Centraal, Sassenheim, Nieuw Vennep and Hoofddorp. There are no trains between Nijmegen and Mook Molenhoek due to a crossing failure, which should be fixed by around 10:00 a.m.

Train traffic is still halted between Geldermalsen and Tiel because of a tree on the tracks. NS can't say when this will be fixed. No trains are running between Arnhem Centraal and Dieren due to broken overhead lines. NS hopes to fix these before rush hour starts. The same problem also makes train traffic impossible between Eindhoven and Geldrop. NS doesn't yet know when this will be resolved. And no stop trains are running between Hengelo and Bad Bentheim for the rest of the day due to equipment restrictions. 

Thursday's storm brought train traffic to a complete halt. Problems lasted almost the entire day across the country. Very few trains were running during rush hour and many travelers had to wait hours to get home. A number of initiatives were launched to get people home. Under the hashtag #stormlopen, storm walking in English, motorists with extra space in the car drove stranded travelers home, AD reports.