Fewer high-speed trains will be running between Amsterdam and Rotterdam due to cracks which have formed at several points along the route. Several key bridges and viaducts have been affected.
Starting immediately, the number of trains running between Amsterdam and Rotterdam will be reduced to just three per hour. Until now, the standard timetable has been running five trains per hour between the two major Dutch cities.
According to ProRail, it is currently not safe to run trains faster than 120 kilometres per hour along the damaged bridges and viaducts on the Amsterdam - Rotterdam route. A spokesperson for NS told NOS that for this reason, two of the five hourly trips between the two cities will have to be cancelled, to allow trains to travel safely at lower speeds.
ProRail has stated that there are nine structures that require repairs. The extent of the damage and how long the recovery will take is not yet known.
Wouter Koolmees, director of NS, told NOS of the company’s frustration with the high-speed infrastructure: "Thousands of travellers are suffering from this, which is really very annoying. Our drivers have been allowed to travel 80 kilometres on a section of the high-speed line for some time now. per hour, while it was built for trains with a speed of 300 kilometres per hour. This line is not intended for that."