The NS cancels several trains daily between Assen and Groningen due to staff shortages. It concerns the rush hour train that only runs on working days between 6:00 and 9:00 and between 15:00 and 18:30. This and next week the sprinter will still be running, but from November 7 that will be a thing of the past.
The rush hour train has been running since September 2017. Assen station was renovated partly because of the arrival of the extra train. Due to the corona pandemic, the train has not been running for a long time: now the extra journeys are canceled for an indefinite period.
The train will not return in the new timetable, which will take effect on December 11, 2022. “With this measure we want to create clarity for our travelers,” says a spokesperson for NS. “We really don’t take this decision easily, but unfortunately we are forced to do this.”
The spokesperson indicates that the staff shortage at NS has still not been resolved. “We also want to use this measure to prevent people from becoming ill due to the high workload. In the long term, of course, we want to offer travelers what they were used to from us, but that is now looking into the future.”