train traffic

Strong winds continue to blow along the coast of the Netherlands on Tuesday. Schiphol warned travelers that this can lead to more canceled and delayed flights. Travelers association ANWB also warned road users to be aware of the strong winds and adjust their driving behavior accordingly.

By 7:20 a.m., Schiphol reported 47 canceled departures, 51 canceled arrivals, and dozens of delays on its website. There are also many gate changes for departures, so travelers are advised to check their flight information carefully. 

Winter storm Ciara, which hit the Netherlands on Sunday and was still causing traffic problems on Monday morning, was stronger than expected, according to a Weeronline meteorologist Yannick Damen. The strong winds caused damage across the Netherlands, mainly in the form of blown down trees, house facades, and roof tiles. But as far as is known, there were no major incidents, NOS reports.

Work will be carried out on the railways around Leiden Central Station from Saturday 8 to Sunday 16 February. This is expected to cause train traffic problems throughout the Randstad. NS and travelers' organization Rover urge train users to check the travel planner regularly and not to travel during peak hours. "Don't expect your trip to go as normal," NS said, NU.nl reports

Rail company NS denied a claim FvD leader Thierry Baudet posted on social media about female passengers being "seriously harassed by four Moroccans on a train" on Friday evening. According to the rail company, Baudet's "Moroccans" were NS employees and a police officer checking the two women's tickets, NOS reports.

The number of passengers who are satisfied with traveling by train increased again last year, according to a survey by rail company NS among 46 thousand passengers. Last year 89 percent of travelers gave the train service a score of 7 out of 10 or higher, compared to 86 percent in 2018, NOS reports.

This puts NS' traveler satisfaction level well above the 74 percent satisfied mandated by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. According to NS, travelers in particular appreciated the new, modern trains and the NS app last year.

A train passenger and her child were struck by a collapsed window after people threw rocks at their train car on Thursday. Police said two boys were arrested walking along the train tracks in Heerhugowaard soon after the Thursday afternoon incident.

The train was pelted with rocks at about 12:30 p.m. near Hectorlaan in the Noord-Holland town as the train was approaching the station. Police said they are looking to interview the mother and child, but they have not made contact with authorities.

A motorist was killed in a collision with a train at a guarded rail crossing in the Limburg town of Haelen on Wednesday evening. The passenger of the car was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. None of the people on the train were hurt, the police said in a statement.

The accident happened at around 7:45 p.m. on the level crossing on Roermondseweg in Haelen, near Roermond. So far nothing is known about the victims' identity.

Police working at the Amsterdam Sloterdijk train station arrested a suspect for allegedly making bomb threats. The threats were made by a person inside a train early Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for Dutch national railway NS told media outlets.

“No explosive was found,” police said in a statement.

Authorities were dispatched to the station before 12:15 p.m., and police confirmed they were responding to a suspicious situation about 15 minutes later. The arrest was made and the situation was resolved by 12:40 p.m., police said.

The foundation of the Dutch rail network is in many places not suitable to run trains faster and at higher frequency, a spokesperson for ProRail confirmed to NU.nl after TU Delft professor Rolf Dollevoet raised concerns in the Telegraaf. If the rails become even busier, some parts of the foundation could collapse.

The government, ProRail, NS, Schiphol and the Amsterdam Transport Region are very nearly at an agreement regarding the expansion of Schiphol train station. The renovations, which will include larger access gates and a new bus station, are scheduled to start in 2022 and expected to cost some 500 million euros, AD reports based on draft plans the newspaper got a look at.

NS made changes to its policy for regional timetable adjustments so that it can be more flexible in dealing with local snowfall. This should mean a reduction in train cancellations on snowy days, the rail company pledged in comments to the Telegraaf.

Previously, changes to regional timetables had to be made at least 12 hours in advance and applied to a whole section of a day. Now changes must be made at least four hours an advance, and apply for at least two hours.