The death of the conductor at Hilversum station last night has caused a ‘deep shock’ among colleagues of the man and other NS employees. That says a spokesperson for the railway company. “It is terrible that your colleague dies during his work,” says the spokesperson.
At least three hundred railway employees have already observed a minute of silence for their deceased colleague this morning. That happened in front of the NS head office, where members of the railway union were already demonstrating for a better collective labor agreement. The protest started with a tribute to the deceased colleague.
Trade union FNV Spoor says it is ‘deeply touched by this sad loss’. The two unions do not want to go further into the death of their colleague and what preceded it.
“We are deeply saddened by this loss and are all in mourning. Other than that, we are just waiting for the investigation.”
Unwell after collision
The conductor was killed yesterday after he got into a fight with two young fare dodgers on the train – which departed from Amsterdam Central Station. A spokesperson for the NS says that there was an altercation and that there was pushing and pulling. The conductor and his colleagues in the train therefore called the police and, on the advice of the officers, kept their distance.
The agents were at Hilversum station ready to catch the two fare dodgers. At the same time, the conductor sat down on a bench. There he fell ill. Emergency services tried to resuscitate the man, but to no avail.
NS employee for forty years
The deceased conductor – a 62-year-old man from Hengelo – had worked for the NS for forty years. Help is arranged for the next of kin and the man’s direct colleagues.
It is still unclear if and how all the events are related. The police are still investigating.
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