Few trains, buses running this morning due to nationwide public transport strike
Commuters are advised to avoid the trains and buses this morning. Employees of NS and regional transport companies are on strike from 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. The city transport in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague is running. They were on strike on Tuesday. The only NS trains running are between Amsterdam and Schiphol.
NS advised travelers to postpone planned trips or use alternative transport. The Dutch rail company won’t be arranging buses to replace the striking trains - it would need more buses than it owns to accommodate all affected travelers.
Train traffic will start after 8:00 a.m. and should get back on schedule during the course of the morning. Travelers should check the travel planner before heading to the station.
Employees of Arriva, Keolis, EBS, Qbuzz, and Transdev, which also includes Connexxion and Hermes, are also on strike this morning, so their buses and trains will not be running.
The only trains running this morning are those between Amsterdam Central Station and Schiphol. The airport went to court to guarantee train traffic, arguing that no trains would cause a traffic disaster and unsafe situations at Schiphol. The court ruled in its favor. However, there will only be four trains per hour during the strike instead of the typical 26.
Despite the public transport strike, the travelers’ organization ANWB expects an average morning rush hour. “The morning rush hour on Wednesday is usually not very busy.” At 7:00 a.m., it reported 20 traffic jams covering 70 kilometers of Dutch roads.
The Rijkswaterstaat warned road users to expect busier roads this morning due to the strike and showers and thunderstorms expected in the northern half of the country.
The public transport workers are striking for a structural early retirement scheme. The current scheme for people in physically taxing professions expires next year. The unions have been campaigning for a decent replacement for months. Minister Eddy van Hijum of Social Affairs and Employment submitted a proposal last week, but according to the unions, it is still too far from their demands.
Workers in other sectors are also taking action. On Monday, cleaners across the country, including those at Schiphol and NS stations, went on a 24-hour strike. The police have been campaigning for months. Their latest actions included not intervening in multi-day Extinction Rebellion protests in Arnhem and The Hague. The police also won’t work at the Eredivisie match between Ajax and FC Utrecht scheduled for Sunday, resulting in Amsterdam banning the match.
