Europe15 September, 20262 min read
Suspected Sabotage Ties Up Dutch Rail Network on Budget Day, ProRail Finds Track-Circuit Failures
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ProRail says tracks sabotaged; materials placed on tracks found at multiple locations. Train service disrupted across central and northern Netherlands during Tuesday morning rush hour.
14 outlets told this the same way.
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Budget Day train sabotage
A suspected sabotage brought large parts of the Dutch rail network to a standstill on Budget Day, with rail travel across large parts of the Netherlands grinding to a halt after authorities discovered tubes tied to tracks at roughly 20 locations. ProRail said deliberately placed objects triggered widespread track-circuit failures, and that “Sabotage appears to be involved,” as the disruption began around 5:30am (CET) and hit routes including Amersfoort–Zwolle, Utrecht–Arnhem, Arnhem–Zutphen and Zwolle–Leeuwarden hardest.
The disruption also affected signalling systems that read affected sections as occupied, halting all trains through them regardless of whether one was actually present, and it disrupted road traffic because malfunctioning level crossings were involved. NS reported severe knock-on delays around Zwolle, Deventer and Amersfoort during the morning commuter hours, while ProRail confirmed that one train struck a tube near Steenwijk in Overijssel and that no one was injured.
Officials, police and witnesses
The National Police are leading the inquiry, and ProRail said it does not yet know who was behind the attack or why, even as the disruption coincided with Prinsjesdag when the King traditionally processes through The Hague before large crowds. State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Annet Bertram said she was “deeply concerned” and called for a thorough investigation, while ProRail said its staff were working to clear the materials and make the situation safe.
ProRail also said it was in close contact with national emergency services and other relevant parties, and a ProRail spokesperson told NOS that the priority was to restore train traffic while trying to leave potential evidence undisturbed as much as possible. Local media reported that pipes had been placed on the tracks, and one train collided with a pipe near Steenwijk but no accident or injuries had occurred, according to ProRail.
Scale, disruption and stakes
The outage was described as affecting central and northern parts of the Netherlands, with the disruption also being felt at Utrecht Centraal, the busiest train station in the Netherlands by passenger volume, and with fewer NS Intercity trains running between Utrecht and Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena. NL Times said train services around Zwolle, Deventer, and Amersfoort were the most severely affected, while the disruption could impact routes between Utrecht and Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol Airport, and Amsterdam Zuid, as well as Sloterdijk, Hoorn, Alkmaar, and Den Helder.
In addition to rail delays and cancellations, the disruption was expected to spread to the roads because barriers at some level crossings were permanently down due to the problems with the security systems, and no replacement buses were arranged because the disruption was too widespread. The incident also raised questions about whether it was linked to Prinsjesdag in The Hague, and ProRail said it was not yet clear whether the sabotage was connected to Budget Day, while ABC News noted the disruption happened on the day the Dutch government is presenting its annual budget to parliament.