Court orders trains to run between Schiphol and Amsterdam during rail strike

The interim relief judge in Haarlem has ruled that Schiphol was right to demand a minimum train service between Amsterdam Centraal and the airport during the public transport strike. Therefore, some trains will run between the stations during the strike. This was the result of summary proceedings by Schiphol and the municipality of Haarlemmermeer against the FNV trade union.

NS and regional transport employees went on strike on Wednesday between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m. to ensure a better arrangement so they could retire at an earlier age. Schiphol requested a minimum service of four trains per hour to prevent a traffic jam that could result in unsafe situations. Mayor Marianne Schuurmans of the municipality of Haarlemmermeer, which includes the airport, said during the hearing that if something happens, she is responsible.

FNV rejected the airport's objections. According to the union's lawyer, the strike is short and was announced well in advance. He expects no traffic chaos to occur because the strike is planned for hours when there is usually not much train traffic in the country. Union official Henri Janssen said that the right to strike would be affected if people still had to work.

The NS did not want to respond immediately on Wednesday afternoon to the question of what the ruling means for Wednesday's timetable.

Patricia Vitalis, the Executive Director of Schiphol Operations, said Schiphol is happy with the decision. “We are here mainly for the safety of our passengers and employees. And now, with this line, we know that this will be fine tomorrow.”

Vitalis added that from Schiphol’s experience, there would have been huge traffic jams, which could have caused problems for emergency services in reaching the airport if the court had not ruled in this way.