PROVINCE OF UTRECHT – The NS is struggling with a technical malfunction. That is why there are no trains running until at least 8 p.m. Earlier today, NS estimated that the problems would last until 5 p.m. The travel advice on the NS website or app also does not work. “We strongly advise you not to travel, or if you are on the road, look for other travel options.”
The canceled trains and delays are not shown in the NS travel planner. “We are working hard on recovery, but unfortunately it is not yet possible to say how long this situation will last.” The NS recommends using travel planner 9292ov.nl. The information provision at the stations has since been restored.
Crowds at bus stations
The outage is causing congestion in other public transport. For example, travelers are waiting in line at the bus station at Amersfoort Central. Long queues have also formed in front of the information desks in Utrecht Central Station. Trains do run on routes of regional carriers, but no current travel information can be given there either.
Stranded train passengers seeking alternative transport complain about crowded buses and hours of delays. The regional buses do run, but the NS cannot deploy extra buses, because the disruption is national and it concerns such large numbers of travelers who cannot fit in a bus. A train can accommodate many more people than a bus. “That is impossible,” said a spokesperson for the NS.
The trains and buses of regional carrier Arriva do run according to the timetable, but the buses are overcrowded. Arriva cannot deploy additional buses because all drivers are already deployed, a spokesperson for Arriva said. All Arriva buses are packed, which means that sometimes stops have to be skipped.
NS: No hack in system
There is no reason to think that it is a possible hack of the system, the NS can further report. The decision to stop driving is one you’d rather not take, but not only was there no up-to-date travel information for travelers, there were also problems behind the scenes. For example, the malfunction made it difficult to rearrange personnel and trains if, for example, there was a delay somewhere.
Alternative to train journey
The NS previously advised postponing the train journey or looking for an alternative if people were already on their way. Those who were already busy with a journey, in many cases had to leave the train at the next station.
Using the hashtag #train failure, car drivers are being sought by people who are affected by the train failure on Twitter. With the call, they hope to get a lift to the location they want to go. Several car drivers in turn place a call under the same hashtag to people who may want to drive along.