NS has temporarily closed ATMs at all but four train stations across the country, for fear of explosions after several bombings targeting cash machines led to station closures. Recent high-profile explosions at Amsterdam-Zuid and Delft have led to the joint decision by ATM provider GWK Travelex and NS to temporarily close 24 ATMs located in train stations, so travellers may need to pay a visit to their local bank to get cash out.
The four stations where ATMs are set to remain open are Amsterdam Centraal, Rotterdam Centraal, Den Haag (The Hague) Centraal and Utrecht Centraal. The damage caused by the ATM explosions at Delft and Amsterdam-Zuid, caused by criminals trying to steal money from the machines, has caused such a significant amount of destruction that both GWK Travelex and NS feel the best measure is to close all station ATMs except those in the main stations of key Dutch cities.
"The machines in question have now been closed and emptied. At a later date, NS and GWK Travelex will decide whether machines can be reopened, possibly with additional safety measures," the railway company said. "Think of roller shutters for the vending machine that close at night or extra camera surveillance."
This is not the first time that the company has faced such issues. A few years ago, the company faced an issue with vending machine explosions and had to close 28 of them. The company dealt with those issues by moving the vending machines, as well as adding extra surveillance nearby and even permanently closing some machines that could not be secured.
It is uncertain whether the ATMs will be reopened any time soon, though the company has suggested that similar measures could be taken as in the case of the vending machine explosions.
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