NS rail strike expected to leave roads and regional transit overwhelmed nationwide

The nationwide strike by Dutch Railways (NS) personnel on Tuesday is expected to cause widespread pressure on regional public transport and roads throughout the country, despite regional carriers continuing normal operations. Several transportation providers and traffic authorities have issued warnings to commuters and travelers.

Regional carriers including Syntus Utrecht, Connexxion, and Keolis emphasized through their websites and social media that they are not participating in the strike. However, they are preparing for higher passenger volumes.

"We are not on strike. Our buses will run according to schedule on Tuesday," Syntus Utrecht stated, while also cautioning, "Due to the strike, it may be busier than usual. Please take this into account." Connexxion, which operates bus services in parts of West-Nederland, also warned that its vehicles may experience increased passenger numbers.

Keolis, which operates regional train services, said its trains will run according to the regular timetable. The routes include service between Amersfoort and Ede-Wageningen, Zwolle and Enschede, and Zwolle and Kampen.

Car rental company Enterprise expects to have 1.5 times more rental cars on Dutch roads Tuesday compared to the same day last year. CEO Thomas Wolters said, “This week is normally relatively quiet because of lower demand from international business travelers due to the holidays. But the train strike turns everything upside down.”

According to Wolters, bookings have notably increased from major hubs such as Schiphol, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, and Maastricht.

Car-sharing platform SnappCar is seeing a similar surge. The company reports that bookings for shared cars on Tuesday are up 50 percent compared to normal days, mirroring the spike seen during the previous NS strike on Friday.

The increased demand translates to “several hundred additional bookings” in major cities including Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Rotterdam. “All records are being broken during these days,” SnappCar said, adding that demand for shared vehicles is “going through the roof.”

In response to the anticipated disruption, Rijkswaterstaat is urging road users to avoid peak hours on Tuesday if possible. The road authority expects heavier-than-usual traffic congestion during both the morning and evening rush hours as a direct result of the NS strike.

“Tuesday and Thursday are already the busiest days of the week for traffic,” Rijkswaterstaat noted, predicting “a heavy rush hour” for both travel periods. The ANWB has also issued a warning that Tuesday will likely be busier on the roads than usual due to the national rail strike.