public transit

National railway NS fears that an early morning strike by its employees on Monday will cause “major hindrance” to train traffic all day. The timetable will be disrupted all day long if no trains run before 7:06 a.m., according to the rail company.

Public transit workers in Amsterdam will strike for part of Monday, March 18th, as part of a national action day for better pensions, trade unions CNV, VCP and FNV announced. Amsterdam public transit company GVB confirmed the strike to Het Parool.

People who use the train, tram and bus in the Netherlands will have to continue to check in each time they switch transit companies. Switching to one system for all the transit companies is too expensive, State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven of Infrastructure and Water Management said in a letter to parliament, NOS reports.

NS is critical about the increase of the low VAT rate, which also covers train tickets, from 6 to 9 percent. According to the rail company, this will make public transport more expensive compared to the car, and NS worries that more people will opt for the car instead, NOS reports.

The price for train tickets and subscriptions will increase on January 1st. According to NS, the increase is mainly due to the VAT increase.

Nine people were injured in a rear-end collision between two trams on Dwasdijk in Rotterdam on Sunday afternoon.

One victim sustained a head injury, according to ANP. The others had neck complaints, among other things. Four people were taken to hospital for examination. One was referred to a GP. And the other four were treated by paramedics at the scene.

The collision involved tram 23 and the Feyenoord tram. The authorities are investigating how the accident happened. 

Bus drivers faced intimidation during a nationwide regional public transit strike on Wednesday. According to employers association VWOV, drivers who decided to work were faced with striking colleagues taking photos of them and buses buses being blocked at the gate. According to union FNV, it was the other way around and the striking drivers were intimidated, RTL Nieuws reports.

Regional public transit workers across the Netherlands will strike from Wednesday, unions CNV and FNV confirmed. Mediators' attempt to make a new collective bargaining agreement for this sector failed, ANP reports.

CNV called on its members to strike for 72 hours starting on Wednesday morning. "Unfortunately, we would've like to see this end differently", CNV negotiator Jean-Marie Severijns said. 

A regional public transit strike union FNV announced on Tuesday will start on Monday, be nationwide and will last as long it takes. The strike will affect regional buses and trains operated by regional transporters throughout the country, NU.nl reports.

Utrecht wants to build a second intercity station and a new tram line or express bus lane to cope with the region's explosive growth. The city and province therefore asked the national government for billions of euros to achieve this, Utrecht traffic alderman Lot van Hooijdonk confirmed to NOS.

Utrecht is the fastest growing region in the Netherlands, with some 140 thousand new homes set to be built in the province over the next 12 years.

Regional buses and -trains will not be operating across the Netherlands on Monday and Tuesday. The court gave workers permission to strike, AD reports.

The regional bus and train drivers are striking for a lower workload, more training and breaks to use the bathroom. Unions FVN and CNV announced the strike earlier this week.

Eurostar is launching a new direct high speed train route between Amsterdam and London, the company announced on Friday. From April 4th there will be two fast trains a day between the Netherlands and United Kingdom. Tickets start from 40 euros per seat, one way.

The train will also stop at Rotterdam. This new service was preceded by a comprehensive testing of the Netherlands high speed network and the building of Eurostar terminals in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.