Trains to halt during two-minute silence on Remembrance Day; Planes not allowed to land

All the trains in the Netherlands will come to a standstill for two minutes during the National Remembrance at 8 p.m. on May 4. This is also the case for the buses, metro, trams, and ferries in cities like Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Air Traffic Control in the Netherlands (LVNL) has reported that air traffic will also be adapted during the National Remembrance.

People will hold two minutes of silence at the 400 NS stations and stores in the stations. There are remembrance gatherings at the stations in Alkmaar, Amsterdam Centraal, Nijmegen, and Rotterdam Centraal. The NS harmony orchestra will perform the Netherlands national anthem after the two-minute silence at Utrecht Centraal.

Planes at Dutch airports will not be permitted to take off between 7:50 p.m. and 8:03 p.m. Planes that have not landed before 8 p.m. will have to remain in the air until 8:03 p.m. and will wait a maximum of two kilometers away.

Planes will not be allowed to fly under a certain level at various places where remembrance activities are taking place, said LVNL.

Rijkswaterstaat is calling on people who find themselves driving at 8 p.m. while wanting to participate in the remembrance to find a parking spot ahead of time and not stop their car on the hard shoulder.

“That is dangerous and not allowed,” Rijkswaterstaat said. On May 3 and 4, electronic signs along the highway will read: "Safe commemoration? Look for a P. Not on the hard shoulder!"

Many of the NS engineers will wear a torch pin on May 4 and 5 to show their respect to the fallen. Current and former NS and ProRail employees will remember the 477 colleagues who passed away during the Second World War. They will do this at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Monument for Fallen Railway Personnel in Utrecht.

NS director Wouter Koolmees will give a speech there, and wreaths will be laid at the monument. On Monday, the NS will run more and longer trains to and from Vlissingen and Zwolle, where large Freedom festivals are taking place. There will also be more and longer trains to and from Haarlem.