Trains canceled over ProRail staff shortages; 2nd time this week
For the second time this week, trains are not running because of staffing problems at ProRail. Due to a shortage of traffic controllers, the sprinter between Driebergen-Zeist and Veneendaal Centrum won't run between 9:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. on Friday. And no trains are running between Hengelo and Bad Bentheim until 1:00 p.m.
Buses are running on those routes to get travelers where they want to go, rail company NS said on its website.
A ProRail traffic controller calling in sick resulted in no train traffic between Utrecht Centraal and Arnhem Centraal, Ede-Wageningen and Barneveld Zuid, and Utrecht Centraal and Rhenen between 11:00 p.m. on Thursday and 7:00 a.m. on Friday, NU.nl reports. This resulted in planned rail works being postponed to Friday, which is why the sprinter is currently not running between Dreibergen-Zeist and Veenendaal Centrum.
On Wednesday, staffing problems also resulted in fewer trains running around Utrecht from the early morning until 3:00 p.m. The rail operator had similar problems early in July, in June, and last year in September and October.
ProRail told the newspaper that it is struggling with "structural personnel problems". The company is trying to compensate for shortages at traffic control by transferring staff from other posts, but it is not always successful. The rail manager is also trying to get recently retired employees and former air traffic controllers to help out in the short term.
In the longer term, ProRail working on recruiting new train traffic controllers.
