Railway problems in spotlight, NS boss says sorry

Dutch Rail head Bert Meerstadt apologised to train users on Monday evening for the chaos on the railways at the weekend.


‘We did not communicate properly with workers and with travellers,’ Meerstadt told RTL news.
Snow on Saturday caused considerable disruption to services, particularly around Utrecht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In Utrecht, passengers were given no information about what was happening, the Telegraaf reported.
Technology not passengers

Transport minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen told MPs on Monday she was disappointed in the NS performance. ‘If you make technology not passengers the central issue then you have a problem,’ Schultz van Haegen told MPs.
Railway workers union FNV Bondgenoten said it too had been flooded with complaints from staff who were frustrated about the lack of information. The union is to hold talks with NS management in an effort to improve lines of communication.
Ready for winter?

In the meantime, NS has withdrawn tv advertising stating it is ready for winter, the Telegraaf says.
MPs may hold an emergency debate on the problems on the railways later this week.
The minister pledged to update parliament on the ‘robustness of the railways’ in February, the Volkskrant reported.

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