Instead of six trains, four per hour will run between Arnhem and Rotterdam from 13 June. The NS opts for measures on that route, because according to the company there are enough travel options for travelers and the impact is therefore limited. Elsewhere in the country, travelers are noticing the consequences of the staff shortage because the NS runs with shorter trains. Fewer drivers are needed for this.
There are currently 1,100 vacancies at the NS, while 20,000 people work there. Due to the shortage on the labor market, it is not possible to find enough new people in time to fill the roster. In addition, there are new gaps due to high absenteeism due to the aftermath of corona. There is mainly a shortage of chief conductors, but there are currently too few people working in other places in the organisation, such as the ICT department.
Combination of absenteeism and lack of new forces necessitates intervention
In recent months, it was still possible to run all trains because the NS made an extra appeal to the staff. The combination of absenteeism and the lack of new employees is now forcing the organization to intervene.
NS also expects that more measures will be needed in the near future to tackle the staff shortage. The prospects for this summer are not good. It is still unclear what measures are involved. The company may have to further adjust the timetable and fewer and shorter trains will run than normal on several routes.
In the coming months, the NS will try to recruit more staff with commercials on television and calls on social media. The railway company has considerably expanded its recruitment budget. However, it will be quite a challenge to find enough staff on time. There is a major labor shortage in almost all sectors.