Train service restored around Woerden after substation fire forces 1,300 evacuations
Train service around Woerden resumed overnight from Friday to Saturday after a fire in a transformer building halted rail traffic in part of the Randstad and forced the evacuation of about 1,300 passengers from stranded trains. No train service will run through Rotterdam Centraal this weekend due to planned NS maintenance, affecting both domestic and international routes. There will be no service between Rotterdam Centraal and destinations including Delft Campus, Gouda, Zwijndrecht, Schiphol Airport, Breda, and The Hague.
The fire broke out Friday afternoon in a transformer house near Woerden, stopping three trains on the line. Roughly 1,300 travelers were evacuated, a process that continued into the evening. According to ProRail, the transformer house was damaged beyond use, and power to the line has been rerouted through an alternative substation. The disruption temporarily halted rail traffic across part of the Randstad region.
Separately, Dutch rail operator NS reported extensive planned maintenance affecting Rotterdam Centraal and surrounding rail infrastructure between Saturday at 12:30 a.m. and Monday at 5:00 a.m. This involves replacement of the signaling and switch systems around the station, effectively shutting down rail traffic to and from Rotterdam Centraal for the entire weekend. Delays of up to 60 minutes are expected where alternative routes remain possible.
During this period, no trains will run between Rotterdam Centraal and key destinations, including Delft Campus, Gouda, Zwijndrecht, Schiphol Airport, Breda, and The Hague. The high-speed rail link from Rotterdam Centraal to Amsterdam Centraal and Breda is also out of service, and the international timetable has been significantly adjusted.
Replacement transport is being organized using a combination of metro and NS bus services. Travellers between Rotterdam Centraal and The Hague are advised to take the metro to Schiedam Centrum and continue by NS bus to Delft Campus, from where onward train connections via Den Haag HS, Den Haag Laan van NOI, and Den Haag Centraal are available.
For journeys to Gouda, passengers can travel by metro to Schiedam Centrum, take an NS bus to Delft Campus, and continue by train via Den Haag HS. For travel between Gouda and Dordrecht, NS is operating replacement bus services via Capelsebrug.
Metro services in Rotterdam will play a central role in the disruption plan, with NS tickets valid on metro lines connecting Rotterdam Centraal, Beurs, Slinge, Blaak, Alexander, and Capelsebrug, as well as metro line E between Rotterdam Centraal and Slinge. However, NS tickets are not valid on the metro connection between Den Haag Centraal and Rotterdam Centraal.
International services are also affected. Between Saturday at 5:00 a.m. and Monday at 1:00 a.m., Eurocity trains between Rotterdam Centraal, Antwerpen-Centraal, and Brussels-South are diverted, with Noorderkempen not served and bus connections arranged between Breda and Noorderkempen. Additional engineering work between Saturday at 4:00 a.m. and Monday at 2:00 a.m. further suspends international services between Rotterdam and Breda for part of the weekend.
Eurocity Direct services continue to operate between Breda and Brussels-South, while selected trains (9516, 9524, 9540, 9556, and 9572) are rerouted via Amsterdam Centraal and Utrecht Centraal.
This weekend’s disruption is part of a broader series of maintenance works affecting the Rotterdam region, with additional planned closures on various dates in July and August affecting routes to Gouda, Dordrecht, and Delft Campus, often with bus replacement services and metro diversions in place.
