The train from Rotterdam to Breda stood still for 2.5 hours on Friday evening. Due to the heat and the lack of clarity, these were unpleasant moments for Helen (25) from Den Bosch, she tells Omroep Brabant. Despite everything, she tried to make the best of it. A train also stopped in Helvoirt.
It is unclear exactly why the train stopped in Barendrecht. An announcement was made in the train that the emergency brake had been pulled, but the NS announced that, just like in Helvoirt, it was a technical defect.
Check the entire train
According to Helen, several NS employees tried to find out who had pulled the emergency brake, but after a long search they were unable to find out.
“They wanted to check the entire train. But it was very busy, so walking was difficult anyway because of all the people,” she says.
Curtains
Because the train was busy and the air conditioning partly stopped working, it quickly became hot. Helen: “Several people fainted. NS employees handed out bottles of water, but that was clearly not enough.” People made their own curtains to block out the sun.
After about 2.5 hours, everyone had transferred to another train and the journey could continue. Helen looks back on an unpleasant experience: “There was never really any panic, fortunately, but we kept hearing ambulances. When we had to change trains you saw several people who were unwell, which was quite unpleasant.”
Helvoirt
It was also a hit between Den Bosch and Tilburg. A train came to a standstill near Helvoirt around six o’clock due to a defect. Several vehicles from rail operator ProRail came to the train.
Due to the warm weather and the failure of ventilation, ProRail employees distributed bottles of water. Around eight o’clock a replacement train arrived for the passengers to transfer.