Rail repairs near Rotterdam extended again; line closed until Monday 5 a.m.
Train service between Rotterdam and Zwijndrecht will remain suspended until at least 5 a.m. Monday as cable repair works continue to take longer than expected, ProRail said. The extension marks the fourth time the rail infrastructure operator has pushed back its reopening estimate, despite earlier expectations that service could resume this weekend.
The disruption began after a short circuit in a cable duct on Monday. Because of the ongoing repairs, no trains are running between Rotterdam and Zwijndrecht. Replacement buses are operating between Rotterdam Centraal, Rotterdam Blaak, Rotterdam Zuid, Rotterdam Lombardijen, Barendrecht, and Zwijndrecht.
The disruption follows a fire on Monday in a cable duct near Rotterdam that damaged about 200 cables. ProRail initially estimated that about 100 cables were affected, but later assessments nearly doubled the scope of the damage. That reportedly contributed to repeated delays in the repair timeline.
ProRail said the work has proven highly complex. It described the repairs as painstaking work. Each cable must be welded individually and then tested after repair. Some cables contain dozens of individual strands that must be welded together one by one. ProRail also said burned cable labels have made identification more difficult.
In addition, the track area must be de-rusted before service can resume. ProRail said space constraints at the site limit the work to four technicians at a time, slowing progress.
