CardThe staff of the NS are on strike today for the fifth and for the time being the last time, which can be seen on the railways in the east of the Netherlands. In addition to the east, strikes are also underway in the southern Netherlands region. The trains of regional carriers will continue to run as usual.
The NS allows the trains to run to the stations adjacent to the strike area. For example, the trains run to Rotterdam Central, Dordrecht, Utrecht Central, Geldermalsen, Ede-Wageningen, Amersfoort and Zwolle and then turn around. The NS advises travelers to take into account a longer travel time and more frequent changes. In order to get to stations such as Zwolle, Apeldoorn and Deventer, regional carriers will have to be used, if that is possible.
train failure
According to the NS, there is quite a bit of train failure and the timetable is not in order, says a spokesperson. He expects this to be the case for the rest of the day as well. Although the strike will only take place in the east and south, travelers outside that area will also be affected by the actions. “The railway is so intertwined that we also notice this in other parts of the country. In addition, we are experiencing after-effects from Tuesday.”
Yesterday, train traffic was shut down in almost the entire country as a result of a strike in the center of the country. “As a result, we had trouble getting trains to the right place to start. This explains that trains are canceled and may also be shorter than travelers are used to.”
A1 and A50
The ANWB does not expect the strike to cause heavy traffic on the roads. The south of the country is still on holiday and the effect of the strikes there will not be as great, according to the traffic service. The ANWB expects crowds in the east of the Netherlands in the morning and evening rush hour on the A1 and A50 motorways.
The strike also has consequences for international train traffic. The train to and from Berlin does not stop at the stations of Apeldoorn, Deventer, Hengelo and Almelo. The ICEs and the night trains to Zurich in Switzerland and to Vienna/Innsbruck in Austria do not stop at Den Bosch and Venlo stations. The train to the Belgian capital Brussels does not stop in Breda. Thalys and Eurostar do run according to normal timetables.
NS staff has been campaigning since August 26 because of failed collective labor agreement negotiations between the rail operator and the trade unions FNV, CNV and VVMC. The unions have announced that they will strike again next week if the NS does not agree with the unions’ demands.
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