NS cancels all Dutch train service on Tuesday over expanded union strike
No NS trains will run anywhere in the Netherlands on Tuesday as a nationwide rail strike intensifies following stalled contract negotiations between unions and Dutch Railway, NS stated.
The walkout was originally set to affect only Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, and part of West-Brabant. However, the largest rail union, VVMC, announced on Sunday that workers in the entire Randstad would also join the strike, prompting NS to halt all passenger services across the country.
The strike is part of escalating action over failed collective labor agreement talks. Rail unions say NS’s latest offer falls short, citing both an insufficient wage increase and unsatisfactory working conditions.
“The unions are not satisfied with the offered wage increase,” NS said in a statement. “They also want better working conditions.”
On Friday, an earlier round of strikes already brought rail traffic to a near standstill nationwide. Virtually no NS trains operated, with the exception of local Sprinter services running between Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport in both directions.
“Because the strike is now taking place in a larger area, we cannot offer a reliable timetable. The strike area has become too great; almost all trains run through this region.”
The Dutch railway suggested they may have been able to run trains in unaffected regions had they had more advanced warning from the VVMC. “The NS regrets the consequences for passengers,” the company said.
