Almelo, Purmerend, and Bergen op Zoom among stations targeted for safety upgrades

Work will begin later this year to improve safety at three train stations where passengers most often report feeling unsafe. These are Almelo, Purmerend, and Bergen op Zoom, the stations that have generated the most reports of insecurity, said State Secretary for Infrastructure Thierry Aartsen on Friday before the start of the weekly Council of Ministers meeting. The caretaker cabinet had already allocated 20 million euros to improve safety in public transport.

Research shows that both passengers and NS staff report feeling unsafe. I’m deeply worried about this,” said VVD member Aartsen. “Every day, an average of three NS staff members are seriously assaulted or threatened. Many people, especially young women, feel unsafe using public transport in the evening.”

Over the next few months, the plan is to work with passengers at the three stations to identify the biggest problems, simply by walking around the station late in the evening. Which spots are dirty and neglected? Should there be more lighting? More cameras, or higher barriers? These are the issues we will actively address,” Aartsen said.

Aartsen also highlighted other measures, such as increasing fines and giving more authority to public enforcement officers (boa’s) to intervene, a plan recently announced by his counterpart at the Ministry of Justice.

Additional support is also planned for train staff, including body cameras for conductors and batons for boa’s. The state secretary referred to an NS pilot program providing 75 boa’s with short batons.

The cabinet supports the initiative, noting that “aggression against public transport staff has escalated to a level where such measures have unfortunately become necessary.”