Dutch trains saw record number of disruptions in January due to snow
By Simone Jacobs
In January 2026, a record number of train disruptions were reported in the Netherlands due to snowy weather. More than 700 disruptions occurred in a single month, the highest in 15 years.
January snow wreaked havoc on Dutch train services
When the Netherlands was hit with heavy snowfall in the first week of the year, Dutch transport came to a standstill. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, road traffic jams reached chaotic levels, and trains were barely running.
Data from Rijdendetreinen.nl revealed that a whopping 712 train disruptions were recorded in January this year. This is 56 more than measured for the same period last year and the highest number since records began in 2011. 204 switches failed, and 203 trains were cancelled or delayed.
While not all these disruptions were weather-related, the 68 that were made history. Never before had so many weather-related train disruptions taken place, almost tripling the previous record of 25 set in 2013.
68-hour train disruption recorded on Dutch train route
In a week of snow chaos, the longest single disruption due to the wintry weather was seen on the train route between Eindhoven and Heerlen. The disruption on January 3 lasted 4.102 minutes, or over 68 hours.
Other major hubs that were affected the most during the inclement weather include Rotterdam, Leiden and Schiphol Airport, reports NU.nl.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more