A lot of grumbling from people who rely on public transport between Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom. After a train cut a bus in half on a level crossing in Bergen op Zoom on Monday, trains no longer run between the two places. As a result, travelers are dependent on replacement buses, but they only run once every half hour, just like the train, so they are packed.
There is a lot of complaining, especially on Twitter. “There are a hundred angry travelers, who almost run over each other to get on the bus,” writes one Ricardo. Another wonders why NS only uses one bus every half hour. “Not even a double-decker bus. Seriously?” And so there are countless complaints.
It was also hit on Thursday morning, reports a reporter from Broadcasting Southwest. The bus that was to leave at five past nine had left the station three minutes earlier. “Full is full. Then we’ll just drive,” said a bus driver in poor English.
For travelers who can’t come along, it automatically means waiting half an hour longer. Annoying, but according to the NS there is no other way. “We can no longer use buses, because the transport company we work with does not have drivers for that,” the company said on Twitter. “They also suffer from a staff shortage.”
The collision at the level crossing caused extensive damage on Monday. In recent days, rail manager ProRail has worked hard to restore this. The first trains between Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom should run again on Friday. Until then, bus transport will remain the only option for public transport passengers.
Driving school owner Nuri Geçoglu filmed on Monday how the bus was driven in half: