Amsterdam train traffic back on track after major disruption

A major signal and switch failure that brought train traffic around Amsterdam and Schiphol to a standstill on Tuesday evening, has been fixed. Train traffic is back on track, though travelers in and around Amsterdam should take into account that trains may be more crowded than usual on Wednesday morning, NS said.

"The trains are running again according to the normal timetable", NS said on Twitter. "Because trains may not be in the right place yet, it may be that your train is shorter than usual." This can lead to trains being more crowded. NS reports no delays related to this disruption on its website.

ICT experts worked through the night to fix the problem, ProRail said on Twitter. "We deeply regret te inconvenience caused to so many travelers, for which we offer our sincere apologies. A thorough investigation will follow."

Train traffic around the capital came to a standstill around 7:00 p.m. Around 8:15 p.m. ProRail reported that the first malfunction had been fixed and that train traffic would be restarted slowly, but that message was withdrawn again some 15 minutes later, according to NU.nl There was another fault in the system, so train traffic could not be restarted. The first trains slowly started running from Amsterdam Centraal around 9:30 p.m.

The disruption stranded many travelers at the train stations in Amsterdam on Tuesday evening. NS could not say exactly how many people were stuck and had to find other ways home. On Twitter the rail company called on motorists to help get stranded passengers home by offering them a ride.  "We offer coffee and tea, to alleviate the suffering a little. There is of course enormous inconvenience for travelers who are stranded", a spokesperson for NS said to NU.nl on Tuesday evening.