Dutch Train Strike to Continue on Tuesday
The Dutch train strike that caused chaos for commuters and tourists last Friday is set to continue on Tuesday, as railway workers vow to step up their actions.
Dutch train strike
Last Friday (6th June 2025), Dutch rail workers went on strike in Utrecht, the main railway hub of the Netherlands, which led to train cancellations across the entire country, as national rail company NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) could no longer maintain a coherent schedule or guarantee safety.
An NS spokesperson explained: “Almost all trains pass through Utrecht, many of our coordinating departments are also located there.
“If people go on strike there, we can no longer operate trains responsibly.”
Although most Dutch commuters were forewarned, the strike still caught many international tourists off guard.
The Dutch train strike is set to enter a new phase on Tuesday, as railway workers have once again vowed to stop work.
NS train in its classic blue-and-yellow livery. ©Paliparan
New Dutch rail strike
A few days ago, Dutch railway workers in the south-western Netherlands announced a train strike on Tuesday, 10th June 2025, affecting the provinces of South Holland, Zeeland, and part of North Brabant.
This strike is intended to be part of a series of regional strikes following the national rail strike on Friday, 6th June.
However, NS colleagues in North Holland and Utrecht have announced they will join the strike on Tuesday, which will last for 24 hours from 04:00 on Tuesday, 10th June, until 03:59 on Wednesday, 11th June, and includes train drivers, conductors, station staff, and office workers.
This will once again prevent NS from maintaining its train schedule nationwide, and the company has already announced it will cancel all trains across the country as a result.
The strike on Tuesday will impact only NS-operated trains, while regional services run by private companies such as Arriva in the north of the Netherlands will continue to run as usual.
Airport trains
Last Friday, the only train service operated by NS despite the strike was a shuttle between Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and the Amsterdam Centraal, the main station of the Dutch capital.
Wim Eilert, a union official of VVMC, the largest Dutch railway workers’ union, said that the striking workers are once again willing to maintain a scaled-back train service between Amsterdam and its airport.
Mr Eilert said: “I assume that Schiphol Airport will report to us. Then we will look together at what the possibilities are.”
International trains
International train traffic to and from the Netherlands will be severely disrupted due to the strike on Tuesday, although some trains are still scheduled to run as normal.
All EuroCity Direct trains between Amsterdam and Brussels on Tuesday will be cancelled, while at least half of the EuroCity trains between Rotterdam and Brussels that day will also be cancelled.
All InterCity trains from Amsterdam to Berlin will be cancelled during the strike, while most ICE trains to Germany, as well as many Eurostar services to Brussels, Paris, and London, will also be cancelled.
The Nightjet sleeper trains connecting the Netherlands with Switzerland and Austria will also be cancelled during the strike.
On the NS International website, you can find an exact overview of which services will definitely not run.
NS Intercity train at Utrecht CS, the busiest railway station in the Netherlands. ©AndyBTravels
Strike demands
Dutch railway workers’ unions are demanding a salary increase of 7 to 8% per year to offset inflation and loss of purchasing power, while NS has only offered a pay rise of 5.75% spread over 27 months, which amounts to only about 2.55% per year.
The railway workers’ unions complain that “NS employees work irregular hours, under high pressure, and are confronted with aggression and violence on a daily basis.”
VVMC union official Eilert explained that despite last Friday’s strike, “NS has made no attempts so far to agree to our demands for fair wages and better working conditions.”
Mr Eilert said: “We are forced to take action again. We ask travellers for understanding and call on NS to come up with a serious and honest proposal.”
More railway strikes
The next Dutch railway strike is scheduled for 12th June, when NS staff in the north-western and eastern parts of the country will walk out.
Although it is unclear whether this strike will result in cancellations elsewhere in the country, it will affect international services, with many trains connecting Amsterdam to both Belgium and Germany likely to be cancelled that day.
Groningen station. ©AndyBTravels
Conclusion
Dutch railway workers will strike again on Tuesday, 10th June 2025, resulting in the cancellation of nearly all train services operated by the national rail company NS across the entire country.
A limited train service will likely run between Amsterdam Centraal and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, as well as a few international trains linking the Netherlands to Belgium and Germany, although the majority of them have already been cancelled.
On 12th June, yet another strike is scheduled as NS staff in the north-western and eastern parts of the country walk out, leading to train cancellations in these regions and severely disrupting international train traffic between the Netherlands and Germany and Belgium.
