NS scrapping trains from timetable due to staff shortage

Rail company NS is scrapping several trains from the timetable due to staff shortages. The rail company does not have enough conductors, drivers, and other personnel to run all trains, NOS reports.

NS is scrapping trains on the route between Nijmegen and Rotterdam, which runs via Arnhem, Utrecht, and Schiphol. That route runs an intercity in both directions every ten minutes. But from Monday, June 13, trains will run every 15 minutes instead. So four trains per hour, instead of six.

Some trains on other routes will also be shorter than travelers are used to. Shorter trains need fewer conductors. "In this way, NS prevents the timetable from having to be adjusted on more routes," the rail company said.

NS managed to run all trains over the past months "by making an extra call on our colleagues," but it can't keep doing so indefinitely. "The prospects are not rosy, which means that NS may have to take more measures this summer and can be hindered in the intended growth."