Fewer trains running in July due to severe staff shortages at NS

Over the weekend, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) confirmed that more services between various Dutch cities would be scrapped as of Monday, July 4 due to severe staff shortages across the country and a high number of vacancies across several positions. 

Trains scrapped between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague

The past few weeks have seen NS announce various changes to their standard summer timetable, with the rail company temporarily scrapping some 10-minute trains as well as Sprinters and Intercity trains in North and South Holland. 

From July 4 to July 10, NS will be running a reduced timetable on six routes. As of Monday, there are fewer Intercity trains running between Arnhem, Schiphol Airport, and Rotterdam, as well as fewer Intercity trains between Amsterdam and Eindhoven. 

This week, NS is also running a reduced timetable between Rotterdam and Gouda, and Amsterdam and Enkhuizen during rush hour. From Monday to Friday, fewer Sprinters will be running between The Hague and Gouda. 

NS announces reduced timetable for the summer

On their website, the public transport operator says the adjusted timetable is a result of “a shortage of workers,” and that it hopes to limit the disruption to passengers over the summer by announcing any changes to the timetable as early as possible. 

In order to ensure travellers are kept informed, NS will assess the situation on a weekly basis throughout the summer holidays. So far, timetable changes have already been confirmed for the week of July 11 to July 17, affecting services between stations in cities such as  Alkmaar, Den Bosch, Utrecht, Leiden, Amersfoort, and Breda.

Want to know how the changes might affect your journey? Make sure to check the NS Reisplanner for up-to-date travel information.