Fewer NS trains again due to staff shortages

The NS will again adjust the timetable due to staff shortages. As a result, fewer trains will be running on a number of routes from 7 November, reports the railway company Monday.

Between The Hague Central and Amsterdam Central, Rotterdam Central and Utrecht Central, and between Alkmaar and Haarlem, there will be fewer intercity trains during the day on working days. There are also fewer trains during rush hour. Fewer sprinters will drive on several routes in the country. The NS reports on the website which routes are involved: among others between Oss and ‘s Hertogenbosch, Dordrecht and Rotterdam Central, Groningen and Assen, and Utrecht Central and Leiden.

The NS warns that trains will again be busier than usual from November. Since the summer, train passengers have been dealing with overcrowded trains and crowds on the tracks. There have been considerably fewer trains since the beginning of September, for example on weekdays between Amsterdam Central and Eindhoven and at weekends on the high-speed line between Rotterdam and Breda.

Also read: The problems on the track are far from over

‘Breathing room colleagues’

“Travellers now too often have to deal with canceled trains,” the NS writes. “From November 7, we will take the next step towards the new timetable that starts December 11. In this way we ensure that trains stop at the last minute less often. And our colleagues get more breathing room.”

The NS announced in August that 10 percent fewer trains will run under the new timetable next year. According to passenger organizations, the NS should design a new timetable instead of downsizing the existing timetable. According to the organizations, more can be driven without conductors.

Travelers Association robber received a record number of complaints about overcrowded trains since the corona crisis in October: 2,750 NS travelers made a report to the organization. There were even a thousand more than in September, normally the busiest month on the railways. The route where train passengers experienced the most problems was between Zwolle and Utrecht.

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