Student wearing a face mask next to a NS train during the summer of 2020 - Credit: Demiwagemaker / Dreamstime

Sunday, November 7, 2021 - 09:50

ProRail staff shortage leads to more delayed and canceled trains

Staff shortages at the traffic control center of rail manager ProRail in Utrecht will lead to further delays and canceled trains on Sunday.

There will be trains between Utrecht and Arnhem until 3 p.m. on Sunday. Trains have also been cancled beetween Maarn and Rhenen and between Barneveld Centrum and Ede Wageningen.

The NS has been using buses to transport passengers to their destinations.

On top of limited staff, ProRail has also been dealing with damages to the railway. ProRail arranged for an emergency replacement of the 40-meter-long rails. Due to staff shortages, it took some time to find specialists able to fix the train tracks. ProRail anticipated the repairs will be completed by Sunday afternoon.

The rail manager has been struggling to find employees for a while. In total, ProRail is missing around 60 employees.

"We try to determine nationally where it is necessary to deploy people in the short term, but that is simply not always possible," a spokesperson told RTL Nieuws. "That is, of course, very annoying."

ProRail hopes to have the staff shortage solved by 2023.