No trains to and from Utrecht region for hours this afternoon due to technical failure
No trains were operating to or from the Utrecht Centraal Station on Wednesday afternoon as the result of a technical failure, said Dutch railroad infrastructure firm ProRail. The issue will pose an enormous challenge for rail passengers in the Netherlands, as the station handles the highest volume of passengers on a daily basis in the country.
The disruption arose at the main rail traffic control post in Utrecht at about 1:30 p.m., and will affect all passenger service in the greater Utrecht region. "This will last at least until 4 p.m.," said Dutch national railway NS.
The NS said that the problem also means trains will not operate to or from Amersfoort Centraal, Gouda, Ede-Wageningen and Hilversum. A variety of problems were shown to be causing shutdowns and delays on routes connecting the central rail station in Utrecht with several Amsterdam stations, Schiphol Airport, Rotterdam, The Hague, Breda, Hilversum, Amersfoort, Arnhem, and Den Bosch.
Additionally, trains will not run between Arnhem Centraal and Tiel. Service was also stopped between Beesd and Geldermalsen. Separately, sta
"It is still unclear what the cause of this malfunction is, which is currently being investigated," ProRail said. "Passengers are advised to consult a travel planner or opt for an alternative mode of transport."
It was the second major disruption at Utrecht Centraal in less than a week. A freight train engineer reported a strong chemical smell last Thursday afternoon, and was concerned about a possible leak. Rail traffic was stopped in the area until an initial inspection ruled out a leak, and the train could be safely moved to another location for further investigation.
An average of 226,708 passengers use the Utrecht Centraal station on a daily basis. Roughly 175,400 passengers start or end their journey there, while he remaining 51,300 transfer to another train at the station. A full 25 percent of them travel during the peak hours from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., according to NS statistics for 2023.
