First NS chief conductors equipped with bodycams from today
From Tuesday, several NS head conductors will wear bodycams on trains. NS intends to equip all 3,500 chief conductors with such a camera by the end of the year, NU.nl reports.
NS experimented with bodycams in 2024 and 2025 and found that the cameras had a de-escalating effect during incidents on trains. They improve conductors’ safety, and their footage can be used as evidence should it be required, the rail company concluded.
State Secretary Annet Bertram of Infrastructure and Water Management will present bodycams to two conductors at The Hague Central Station on Tuesday morning. She called it “an important step” to make public transport safer.
In the coming months, more and more conductors will be equipped with bodycams. They can start recording footage in a situation that could escalate or if they think they are witnessing something criminal. The conductors themselves and other authorized employees can view the footage. The police can also request recordings if needed for an investigation. The recordings are automatically deleted after 28 days.
Railway workers have faced increasing aggression and violence from passengers in recent years. In April 2024, public transport employees took action after a group of young people assaulted a conductor in the train and pushed her down the stairs. All trains, buses, and trams came to a halt for three minutes in a nationwide protest.
NS security workers already wear bodycams. The railway company is also experimenting with arming security personnel with batons to see whether this deters aggression on the trains.
