NS to resume full train schedule on Friday after winter disruptions

A spokesperson for the Dutch Railways (NS) has said that the full train schedule is expected to be back on Friday. The travel planner had previously suggested that most routes would return to normal on Thursday evening. NS attributes the current reduced service to a shortage of trains caused by last week’s winter weather.

The spokesperson explained that it was previously unclear if trains would be punctual on Friday, but the current expectation is that they will run on schedule.

According to the spokesperson, these are only projections, and adjustments may be necessary when trains are not ready as scheduled. The issues were caused by trains still “located in the wrong places” and pending maintenance following last week’s winter conditions. On Tuesday, the company stated it would need the remainder of the week to complete the overdue maintenance.

Because of heavy snow and ongoing freezing temperatures, NS ran a special winter schedule for nearly all of last week, with most routes seeing just two to four trains per hour. In severe weather, ProRail and NS assign additional crews to clear snow and ice from track switches and to fix any problems as swiftly as possible.

The winter weather prevented many trains from reaching maintenance facilities on schedule, creating a maintenance backlog for NS. Under normal circumstances, about 400 train sets are serviced each week, but this week over 700 trains were awaiting maintenance or repairs.

On a typical day, the NS runs about 1,500 trains across its main network. Severe weather can lead to cancellations or delays, as both rolling stock and staff schedules are affected. Last week’s winter conditions resulted in delays and additional maintenance, leaving some trains temporarily unavailable.

NS bases its timetable on forecasts that take train and staff availability into account. This is why the return to the normal schedule was first expected on Thursday, but was later moved to Friday.