NS intends to close the entrance gates at all major train stations by the end of the year. This started with a three day test at Amsterdam Central Station, which started on Thursday and ends at Saturday. If this test goes well, the gates will be locked permanently at Amsterdam CS from December, meaning that travelers can only enter the station by checking in with their public transit card, NOS reports.
Utrecht
Sep 6 '17 11:10
On Wednesday morning NS and ProRail started an experiment on running trains on the busy route between Amsterdam, Utrecht, Den Bosch and Eindhoven every 10 minutes. The experiment went well during the first morning rush hour, according to the rail organizations, AD reports.
According to NS, the waiting times for travelers were a bit shorter this morning. "The crowds were similar to a normal working day", NS said. A spokesperson added: "We had no cancelations or significant delays. We'll keep a close eye on it for the rest of the day."
Sep 5 '17 12:20
There will be no further investigations, including DNA investigation, in the case surrounding the murder of businessman Koen Everink, the court in Utrecht decided in a pro-forma hearing on Monday. The court also decided that suspect Mark de J. will remain in custody, NU.nl reports.
According to the court, investigation has already been done by three institutes, including the Netherlands Forensic Institute. "These investigations will be used in the assessment of the case", the court said. Another investigation wil not contribute anything, according to the court.
Sep 5 '17 08:55
Over the past years charities from Kuwait donated some 10 million euros to Islamic institutions in the Netherlands, NRC reports based on a confidential overview of Kuwaiti gifts that the Gulf State provided to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Sep 5 '17 07:54
A couple from Vught found a plastic bag full of letters dating from World War II at Utrecht Central Station on Monday. Rens and Maartje Zonnenberg would like to find the owner of the letters and posted a call for information on Facebook.
According to Rens, the letters are dated between 1942 and 1944. They are written in Dutch, but the old handwriting make them difficult to read, he said to newspaper AD. The bag was found on a bench on platform 18. "There are more than 100, 150 maybe", he said.
Aug 29 '17 09:26
Over a quarter of homes sold in the second quarter of this year, were sold for or above the asking price, according to a study by Calcasa. This combined with skyrocketing housing prices, and an increase in house sales, indicates that the housing market in the Netherlands is overheating, the company, which is focused on automated valuation and statistical analysis of real estate, concluded, NU.nl reports.
Aug 23 '17 16:50
Pathe will be screening the season finale of Game of Thrones in seven of its cinemas next week. Fans of the HBO series can enjoy the finale on the big screen for free, NU.nl reports.
The almost 80 minute long episode will be screened in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Groningen, Maastricht, Tilburg and Utrecht at 7:00 p.m. on Monday - about 24 hours after it is first broadcast in the United States. It is highly advisable to big your ticket in advance.
Game of Thrones is one of HBO's most popular series. In the Netherlands it is broadcast by Ziggo.
Aug 21 '17 14:40
An Audi RS5 burnt out under suspicious circumstances in the Utrecht neighborhood of Lombok during the early hours of Monday morning. The car was stolen from Berlicum late in December 2016. The police believe arson was involved, NOS reports.
Aug 21 '17 12:40
Hang glider Arne Tanzer made a "perfect" jump from De Johanna student apartment building on Bisschopssteeg in Utrecht at 7:00 a.m. on Monday morning. "It was fantastic, I reached higher than I expected. I even made two turns. Eventually I was in the air for more than 40 seconds", Tanzer said to NOS Radio 1 Journaal after his jump.
Aug 18 '17 15:50
The 14-year-old boy suspected of killing and sexually abusing 14-year-old Romy Nieuwburg from Hoevelaken is still in custody and will remain there until his trial starts, the court decided on Friday. The substantive hearings will start in the court in Utrecht on November 10th, ANP reports.
Aug 17 '17 16:30
Seven men were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the discovery of 2,500 kilograms of hemp in a container of charcoal at the port of Rotterdam in July, the Public Prosecutor announced on Thursday.
The hemp was hidden in a shipment of charcoal that arrived at the port from Nigeria on July 18th. Customs officers discovered the drugs with the help of a container scan and a sniffer dog, according to the Prosecutor. The hemp was removed from the container and destroyed, and the container was sent to its destination.
Aug 17 '17 11:50
The risk of a bubble forming in the Dutch housing market is increasing, though it is currently limited to popular markets like Amsterdam and Utrecht, Rabobank said in a quarterly report. Driven by renewed confidence in the economy and low interest rates, home buyers are increasingly buying above the asking price in the expectation that house prices will continue to rise for a long time, according to the bank, RTL Nieuws reports.
Aug 17 '17 07:35
A pedagogical assistant of childcare organization Patrou in De Bilt is suspected of sexually abusing two girls. The 27-year-old man from Utrecht is currently in custody, the Public Prosecutor confirmed on Wednesday. Parents are appalled. "We are very shocked", one father said to the Telegraaf. "You trust them with your children after all. In addition, I've never had a bad feeling at Patrou."
Aug 16 '17 13:40
The number of electric cars in the Randstad area will grow massively in the coming years, according to a study on the purchase of electric cars done by grid manager Stedin, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and ElaadNL. This is partly thanks to the fact that electric cars are becoming more affordable, ANP reports.
Aug 11 '17 16:50
Utrecht couple Scarlet and Joyce are searching for a sperm donor with a YouTube video. They hope to find a donor that fits them well with the video, as earlier attempts to find a donor through more regular channels mostly led to weird reactions, AD reports.
The couple is very active on social media, where they share a lot about their personal lives and the daily challenges they face. Their YouTube channel Ik Vrouw Van Jou has more than 41 thousand subscribers. They therefore decided to share this call with their followers.
Aug 8 '17 15:00
An criminal gang suspected of trafficking hard drugs from the Netherlands to Australia was arrested in an international police action, the Dutch Public Prosecutor announced on Tuesday. A total of 17 suspects were arrested, including two Dutch.
A 33-year-old man from Utrecht and a 47-year-old man from Huizen were arrested in the Netherlands on Tuesday. The Dutch police became involved in this case, called Operation Veyda, after the Australian police asked the Netherlands to investigate the origin of drugs trafficked to the country.
Aug 8 '17 07:57
The Dutch national women's football team was celebrated and honored for their European Championship victory in Utrecht on Monday evening. Some 12 thousand fans cheered the Oranje Lionesses as they sailed over the Stadsbuitengracht and then took the stage in Lepelunburg Park for the official ceremony, NU.nl reports.
Aug 7 '17 13:55
The police chased two suspects of an ATM bombing down and arrested them in Huizen during the early hours of Monday morning. The ATM bombing happened earlier that night in Emsdetten, Germany - abut 50 kilometers from Enschede, NU.nl reports.
Aug 4 '17 13:30
The Netherlands national women's football team beat England 3-0 on Thursday night and thereby progressed to the European Women's Championship finals for the first time ever, according to ANP. The Oranje women will be facing off against Denmark in Enschede on Sunday. Should they win the cup, the Dutch team will be honored in a celebration ceremony in Utrecht on Monday evening.
Jul 28 '17 15:40
Over the past five years nearly 300 libraries in the Netherlands closed their doors because of municipal budget cuts, RTL Nieuws reports based on its own research. The library closures saved municipalities around 38 million euros, according to the newspaper.
Jul 26 '17 08:27
The police are planning an experiment in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht in which they will more intensely target ATM bombers and ram-raiders. The experiment involves stopping these criminals by following them very obviously and annoyingly, taking their illegally earned money and also keeping an eye on their family members, NOS reports.
Jul 25 '17 07:52
An ATM bombing in Germany early on Tuesday morning, ended in a car crash in the city of Utrecht. The perpetrators fled afoot and the police are still looking for them, AD reports.
The bombing happened in Wessel, a few dozen kilometers from the border at Arnhem. The German police gave chase and called in their Dutch colleagues when the Audi the perpetrators were driving crossed the border into the Netherlands.
Jul 24 '17 11:30
A cyclist was critically injured in an accident on Marnixlaan in Utrecht on Sunday night. The motorist fled the scene of the accident and is still at large, Hart van Nederland reports.
The 25-year-old cyclist was hit by the car near the crossing with Laan van Chartoise. He landed on the asphalt about 50 meters after the crossing. The victim was rushed to the hospital.
The accident happened around 11:00 p.m. The police call on witnesses to come forward.
Jul 18 '17 17:20
The central stations in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht will soon again have a large screen showing train information, NS announced. According to the rail company, the large screens are returning due to many requests from travelers.
NS does not yet know how big the screens will be. "But it will be a big screen with travel information", a spokesperson said to NOS. "The small screens will also continue to exist, but such a large screen is a good central point so you can quickly see when your train is leaving."
