"Major" train disruption shuts rail traffic around Amsterdam, Schiphol airport

Trains scheduled to travel to-and-from Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol, and stations in the Amsterdam area were scrapped on Tuesday evening due to "a major disruption in the train traffic control systems," national railway NS said in a statement.

A "major" signal and switch failure hit the routes between Amsterdam stations Centraal, Lelylaan, Schiphol, Sloterdijk, and Zuid, adding up to two hours more travel time in all directions. Rail traffic in Almere, Hoofddorp, and Weesp, was also severely affected by the delay. The significant delays were expected through the end of the day, the NS said.

Platforms at Amsterdam Zuid were so overcrowded that officials were forced to shut the train station, Nu.nl reported.

"If possible, try to postpone your train journey in the Amsterdam region, or find an alternative," the NS said. The railway was asking Twitter users to help train passengers by giving them car rides. They suggested the use of the "#treinpoolen" hashtag on the social media platform.

The NS asked travellers to look for updated information on their app and website, though the railway said even that data will not be perfectly up to date.

The disruption, first reported around 7 p.m., is the second time trains to and from Schiphol were stopped on Tuesday. About an hour earlier, a suspected shoplifter ran from the airport's train station into the Schiphol tunnel restricted area. The 21-year-old was caught by the Marechaussee and is suspected of stealing from an Albert Heijn, Nu.nl stated.