Railway inspection finds no safety issues

The Inspectorate of environment and transport concluded there were no situations posing imminent danger, after an inspection of 1,500 tracks and signals. The inspection did, however, find many points for improvement, and observed many violations of the rules. State Secretary Mansveld, who had found herself in hot water once before, early last year, when she neglected to forward a critical report from ProRail to the House, promptly forwarded these results to parliament.

Safety should play a more prominent role during minor maintenance, according to the report, which ProRail promised Mansveld they would take to heart. The State Secretary promised to see to it that improvements are implemented swiftly. A change in the way of working will lead to a safer railroad with less interruption, but that requires better communication, according to Mansveld. The State Secretary will inform the House about the disruptions on the tracks between The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht, earlier this week, in a separate letter.