Passenger transport group NS and track service company ProRail should take action to combat the effects of wintry weather as soon as weather forecasters say the snow is on its way, transport minister Melanie Schultz told MPs on Thursday.

By reducing train services immediately, services in general will be more reliable even though capacity will be reduced, the minister said. This is because by operating fewer trains, an unexpected incident on one part of the track will be unlikely to spread to the entire network, she said.
Last week’s heavy frost and snow led to thousands of passengers being stranded because the infrastructure did not function properly and passengers were not kept informed about what was going on.
The minister is also looking at the cost of using points to switch tracks which are less vulnerable to frost and at the experience of other countries with severe winters, she said.
MPs are due to debate the problems on the railways and Schultz’s reponse next Tuesday.