NS continues to cut train trips due to staff shortage

NS will again use fewer trains next week than last week due to staff shortages. As of tomorrow, flights on six routes will be canceled; Sometimes only during rush hour, but sometimes during a large part of the day as well.

These include runners between Gouda, The Hague and Rotterdam, and intercity trains from Amsterdam to the north and south.

Overview of all canceled tracks:

Last week, there were still four routes with fewer trains running due to staff shortages. For example, fewer Intercity Direct trains were running on the high-speed line between Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

This means that six tracks will be affected next week, eight of them in the week of July 11.

It’s going to be exciting,” an NS spokesperson said of the schedule over the summer. Foreign Minister Vivien Heijnen (Infrastructure) has already written in a letter to Parliament that staffing shortages may continue even after the summer.

On the consequences for passengers, an NS spokesperson said: “There is a shortage in all areas and of course we don’t want to cancel the trains, but do it on the roads where there is less damage and where there is currently a shortage of staff.”

There is a huge shortage of drivers and connectors, but these are not the only vacancies. For example, NS is also looking for service personnel and IT personnel. In total there are about 1100 vacancies.

When candidates apply for the position of Train Driver or Conductor, they cannot be posted immediately. Train driver training lasts for two years and before you can check tickets on the train, you follow a six-month course.

Another problem with the lack of drivers is “job awareness”. “Every train driver has their own routes, and therefore they cannot be deployed everywhere,” says an NS spokesperson. “Especially on weekends, it takes a lot of flexibility.”

Staff shortages is also a problem in other public transport companies. For example, Arriva trains in Achterhoek operated on a modified schedule this week. In the other four regions where Arriva is active, trains are operating normally.