Nationwide Rail Strike to Disrupt Train Traffic in the Netherlands
A massive rail and public transport strike will take place in the Netherlands this month, bringing public transport to a halt.
Rail strike in the Netherlands
The rail strike will take place across the Netherlands on Wednesday, 9 September, and last for the entire day.
According to a strike notice from Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), the Dutch national railways, no trains will operate anywhere in the country on 9 September, with the exception of the Amsterdam airport train linking Amsterdam Centraal with Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Hoofddorp.
International train services, such as Eurostar, the Amsterdam–Berlin and Amsterdam–Frankfurt ICE trains, and the Amsterdam–Rotterdam–Brussels EuroCity service, will not operate in the Netherlands during the strike.
These international trains may only run as far as the station nearest to the Dutch border or be cancelled altogether.
Passengers are advised by NS to use alternative transport modes.
NS Intercity train at Utrecht CS, the busiest railway station in the Netherlands. ©AndyBTravels
Nationwide strike
The walkout by Dutch Railways staff is part of a larger 24-hour public transport strike in the Netherlands that will take place on 9 September.
According to Dutch national media, there will likely be no metro, tram, bus or ferry services operating in the major cities across the Netherlands.
Regional bus transport could see up to 90% of services cancelled.
Other rail operators in the Netherlands are also expected to cancel most of their train services.
Thursday 10 September
On Thursday, 10 September, train services and other modes of public transport are expected to run as normal.
However, rail infrastructure manager and traffic controller ProRail expects there may still be some disruption to train services on the morning of 10 September.
Passengers are advised by ProRail to check the latest travel updates with NS or the company they are travelling with.
NS train at Amsterdam Centraal, the main railway station of the Dutch capital. ©AndyBTravels
Conclusion
The Netherlands will be hit by a nationwide rail strike lasting a full 24 hours on Wednesday, 9 September, with the after-effects likely to be felt on the morning of 10 September as well.
Apart from the train linking Amsterdam Airport Schiphol with the city, no train services are expected to operate in the Netherlands.
All international trains, such as Eurostar and services linking the Netherlands with Belgium and Germany, will likely be cancelled or only operate as far as the Dutch border.
Public transport across the entire country will go on strike as well, bringing metro, bus, tram and ferry services to a halt.
