Dirty trains due to staff shortages at NS, wet weather

The weather conditions combined with staff shortages are resulting in NS trains becoming increasingly grimy. The wet weather means the trains get dirtier while running their routes. And NS does not have enough employees to clean them regularly, the rail company confirmed to AD.

Ideally, the 600 daily NS trains go through the train wash every few months for a thorough cleaning. And employees clean the walls of the trains every two weeks. However, due to staff shortages, this has been happening less and less frequently over the past two years.

NS spokesperson Carola Belderbos confirmed to AD that “quite a few” dirty trains are on the tracks. “We would prefer to have all our trains running clean,” she said but added that the priority is ensuring they run on time according to the timetable. “We prefer to use our drivers on the track rather than in the car wash.”

In practice, this means that the NS train fleet is becoming increasingly dirty. And the dirtier the trains get, the longer they take to clean. “After all, dirt sticks more and longer. If trains are not cleaned every two weeks, they will become increasingly grimy,” Belderbos said. She called it a dilemma for NS, because neat and clean trains are also a calling card for the traveler, and the railway company has been struggling with disappointing traveler numbers since the pandemic.

Hoi @NS_online, ik woon sinds 2 weken langs het spoor en kijk met alle liefde heel de dag naar jullie treinen, maar waarom zijn ze allemaal zo vreselijk vies??? Het is echt structureel, ik zou heel de dag foto’s kunnen blijven maken 🫠 pic.twitter.com/NtznDjqWHm

— Lars 🇳🇱🇱🇹🇺🇦 (@larsvr06) January 6, 2024

NS train driver Stefan Tames acknowledged the dirty trains on X. “If there are staff available to wash, they will wash,” he said in a post.

On the bright side, NS has almost eliminated its major staff shortages and expects to have sufficient drivers again by the end of March 2024. But according to AD, that won’t automatically solve the problem with the dirty trains. The train washing stations remain understaffed. Well-functioning washing machines and enough free tracks to clean the trains on are also a problem.