Fewer trains in Randstad area due to staff shortage at NS

Fewer trains will run at various places in the Randstad area on Saturday due to staff shortages at the NS. This applies to the Amsterdam-Alkmaar, Amsterdam-Utrecht, Utrecht-The Hague and Utrecht-Schiphol routes. The NS travel planner reports 15 minutes as the average extra travel time.

In addition, fewer Sprinter trains will run along the Amsterdam-Uitgeest route. There are approximately 1,100 job vacancies at the company. The railway company is not only short of drivers and conductors, but also IT staff, mechanics, safety and service employees and shop staff at the stations.

In order to incentivize people to work at the NS, a train simulator will be installed at a different station in the coming weeks. In it, people can experience what it is like to drive the latest intercity trains. The simulator was on Friday at Utrecht Central Station. Next Friday it will be Arnhem's turn, then Alkmaar, Deventer, Rotterdam and Eindhoven.

State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen (Infrastructure) recently made it clear to the Tweede Kamer that the shortages may persist for a longer period of time, even after the summer. She found that "obviously not an attractive perspective for the traveler, nor for the staff of the NS." However, she pointed out that many sectors are struggling to find enough staff.