Photo: Jonathan Marks
NS train services are almost back to normal on Monday morning, following Sunday’s technical problems which left thousands of people stranded.
Although the problem was solved on Sunday night, and some night trains were running, it was not possible then to resume all normal services, a spokesman told broadcaster NOS.
The NS first said the problems would last until at least 5pm but later revised that to 8pm, a deadline which was also not met.
The problems led to long waits for taxis at railway stations nationwide and chaos at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, where the traffic jam to drop off passengers stretched for over three kilometres.
A spokesman for the NS said that buses had not been used to replace the trains because there are not enough for the entire country. ‘A bus takes 50 people, the average intercity train 1,000,’ the spokesman said.
The technical problem centred on the system which monitors train arrivals and makes sure staff are available in case of delays. Any disruption means that the safety of passengers cannot be guaranteed, the spokesman said.
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