No NS trains will be running in the Netherlands on Wednesday 9 September due to a 24-hour national strike in public transport. International Eurostar, ICE, Nightjet and EuroCity trains will also be affected, the only significant exception being the rail link between Amsterdam, Schiphol Airport and Hoofddorp.
Rail services in the Netherlands will be severely disrupted on Wednesday 9 September, when staff in the public transport and rail sectors will take part in a national strike.
NS, the Dutch passenger rail operator, has announced that it will not be able to run its trains across the entire network throughout the day and advises passengers to find alternative means of transport.
The industrial action is scheduled to last 24 hours and is in response to the Dutch Government’s plans to cut spending on the social security system, including unemployment benefits and those paid to people unable to work.
Eurostar, ICE and Nightjet services will not be running in the Netherlands
The strike does not only affect domestic services.
NS states that EuroCity, EuroCity Direct, Eurostar Continental and Eurostar services through the Channel Tunnel, Nightjet and ICE will not be running within the Netherlands on Wednesday.
The international regional trains Roosendaal–Antwerp and Drielandentrein Liège–Aachen will also be suspended on their Dutch sections.
The only significant exception announced by NS is the AirportSprinter, which will continue to run between Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport and Hoofddorp, with four trains per hour.
The strike is in protest against cuts to the social security system
The FNV and CNV trade unions state that the action is not directed against NS, but against government policies.
Earlier this year, the Dutch government presented an austerity package that also targets WW, the unemployment benefit scheme, as well as WIA, the benefits scheme for employees who are no longer able to work full-time or part-time due to illness or disability.
The trade unions argue that a significant proportion of the proposed cuts remain on the table and are calling for them to be withdrawn.
“On 9 September, we will bring public transport in the Netherlands to a standstill for 24 hours. Together, we are sending a clear message to the Government: do not touch our social protection,” said the CNV.
Employees of ProRail, the Dutch rail infrastructure manager have also been called upon to take part in the action, as have staff from other public transport operators.
A new strike following the June protest
This is not the first action of its kind this year.
On 24 June, Dutch public transport workers stopped work for several hours, also in protest against the proposed cuts to the social security system.
The FNV subsequently announced an escalation of the protests, and a 24-hour strike across the public transport and rail sectors nationwide was scheduled for 9 September.
NS and ProRail have held discussions with the trade unions, including on the safety conditions under which the strike will take place and how services can be resumed after the strike.
Trains are expected to resume on Thursday
NS estimates that on Thursday, 10 September, it will be able to return to its normal timetable.
However, the operator advises passengers to check train services before setting off, particularly in the early hours of the morning and for international services.
For affected passengers, the NS delay refund scheme (‘Geld Terug bij Vertraging’) will apply.
However, as the operator recently announced, there is no longer a separate compensation scheme for alternative transport used during strikes. Passengers can only claim refunds under the standard delay scheme.
Wednesday’s strike will therefore leave almost the entire NS network without trains for a whole day and will also disrupt the Netherlands’ main international rail links with Germany, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and Austria.
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