Delays expected in Utrecht due to construction on Central Station and A2 motorway

NS warns that the trains during rush hour on the route Arnhem-Utrecht-Schiphol will be “very busy” next week due to construction on the station Utrecht Centraal. This will lead to fewer trains running and changes to the schedule. Trains from Utrecht Centraal will also leave from other platforms than is usually the case. The railway company is calling on passengers to avoid the peak hours on the route.

On Saturday and Sunday, fewer intercity trains will run between Utrecht and Amersfoort, between Utrecht, The Hague, and Rotterdam, and between Arnhem, Utrecht, and Schiphol. There will also be two fewer intercity trains between Arnhem, Utrecht, and Schiphol.

Fewer sprinter trains will run between Driebergen-Zeist, Utrecht, and Breukelen. Next weekend will also see lesser trains running because of the construction work.

ProRail, the company responsible for the national railway infrastructure, is working near platform five, one of the busiest platforms in the country. The platform was supposed to be widened next week, but that will not happen. ProRail said this is due to staff shortages and safety reasons. Preparatory work will continue.

A switch will be made with the adjacent track four being shortened and the platform at tracks three and four extended again. The plan is still for the platform to be widened, but this will now happen at a later date.

NS warned of busy trains either way, as the holiday period has just finished for many people. Longer trains have nearly returned on all routes.

Furthermore, NS said that trains will depart a few minutes earlier or later on several routes to accommodate minor disruptions.

This will not be the only travel nuisance for the people of Utrecht as the A2 motorway was also partly closed from 9 p.m. on Thursday going from Utrecht towards Den Bosch. The junction of Oudenrijn to Vianen is closed for construction.

Rijkswaterstaat is warning for the busiest weekend thus far. This is partly because the schools and sports clubs have reopened. Drivers are being advised to avoid the roads in the Utrecht region and to use public transport or their bicycles when possible.

Construction has also been ongoing on the A2 for the last two weekends. The road closures led to traffic chaos surrounding Utrecht, especially on Fridays. Rijkswaterstaat was expecting “extreme hecticness” from the afternoon hours, with reports that there was already an hour delay due to traffic on the nearby A27 motorway from Almere to Breda as of 4 p.m. on Friday. The traffic from Amsterdam to Utrecht was causing a delay of half an hour.

The work on the A2 is set to last for another month.