Trains in the Netherlands are unreliable & why it's a bigger problem than we think.

Different type of video from what I usually make, but I wanted to share my honest recent experiences with Dutch trains. I also talk about why having reliable trains matter and why the recent problems with taking the train in the Netherlands is a bigger problem than it might initially appear to be.
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I like to share my experiences of an American expat in the Netherlands. I describe both the unique and everyday aspects of Dutch culture, and life in Holland while enjoying every bit of it!
Blog website: www.dutchamericano.com
Instagram: DutchAmericano
Get in touch: [e-mail]
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[@InfiniteCyclus]

Complaining about trains are we?! You're becoming really integrated Eva 😂😂

[@MartijnFrazer]

yessss! came here to say the exact same thing haha. complaining about the NS, now you're really Dutch lol

[@c128stuff]

Hahaha, yes indeed. But she ends up speaking Dunglish every so often as well, I don't think her integrating is something we should be worried about... the only real difficulty will be learning Dutch, as all those Dutchies insist on switching to English the moment they notice someone is a native English speaker.

[@SomeDutchGuy]

Once you have complained about the public transportation, you are entitled to apply for Dutch nationality. All other requirements are automatically waved.

[@TestTest-eb8jr]

🖒😁👍😄👍😁🖒

[@sit-insforsithis1568]

She is becoming randstad.

[@jeffafa3096]

The situation after the Harry Styles concert was a unique incident, and was due to a massive software malfunction around Amsterdam Centraal. These sort of incidents usually happen once every few years. We have been quite unlucky lately, with the Voorschoten accident and the massive personnel shortage as well... However, I still think our trains are very reliable. I travel by train approximately once every month, and the last time I experienced any severe delays with my train ride (and transit) was a few years ago, when someone committed suicide. Other than that, the trains were always on time (except for a few minutes of delay every now and then). The quality has been going down in the past couple of years, but overall I am still very satisfied.

[@erikthehalfabee6234]

There was a massive software malfunction only 1 year ago on a Sunday also

[@JanneWolterbeek]

Agreed! Want to add that NS/Prorail is very much concerned with safety. Other less developed nations drive trains without these safety measures. Luckily we have very few accidents, bar the Voorschoten incident, but still, on average, we are doing very well.

[@CobisTaba]

The issue during the Harry styles concert, was absolutely a typical. It was the first time ever ProRail had to use the emergency location. This was absolutely different then all other experiences you had.

[@dutchman7623]

Agreed! But should we have those big concerts and events in the, already busy, Randstad? There are so many good locations with good connections elsewhere, so why on the most vulnerable spot?

[@c128stuff]

Well, it was the first time they used it, because the previous time, it did not exist yet. Note that previous time was some 10 years ago, and the fact the emergency location exists at all is a consequence of that incident, and a similar one rather shortly before that.

[@ariearie7953]

@@dutchman7623 One of the main advantages of having a densely populated region is there are loads of people within a short traveling distance that are able to attend the concert. You don't get that in Leeuwarden. Moreover our transport system should be able to handle a mere 50k people. If you insist it cannot that just means it ought to be expanded.

[@dutchman7623]

@@ariearie7953 But by concentrating all activity in a very small area, you create a situation where one little incident causes a lot of trouble. It wasn't only Amsterdam Arena but also Schiphol, and Amsterdam itself, loaded with tourists, and the business center Zuidas, that were all stuck. Not very wise to build around a single point of failure.

[@ariearie7953]

@@dutchman7623 maybe build more rail lines

[@cambridge1960]

I'm American and have lived in the Netherlands sinds the mid 80's. Trains used to be very reliable. You had to be on time or you missed out. Very few got cancelled or were late. The last 10-15 years things have become progressively worse. Rain, snow, leaves, stolen copper, not enough personnel, the list goes on and on. I went from being an avid train user to someone who tries to avoid them

[@YouHaventSeenMeRight]

In 1995 the NS was changed from a partially government controlled company to a fully independent company. At the same time they split the organization into a transport company (NS) and a infrastructure company (ProRail). That is the point things started to become worse as previously they operated as one entity (under government supervision) and now they act as two separate companies, each with their own goals and incentives. This, frankly stupid decision, is why train travel is getting so much worse. And of course there are the outside factors of copper stripping and the like, but the those are incidental. The rot at the core is caused by this privatization and split-up decision.

[@sit-insforsithis1568]

Randstad moment 😂

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

A few years ago the right wing coalition than in-power privatised our national railways, since than things got more expensive by the year, dirty, crowded and late. Nationalise the whole lot, have more trains, more lines, and lower prices.

[@baskoning9896]

Ah, because tax payers money is free I guess... wait... wut...

[@eddys.3524]

Both Prorail and NS are 100% owned by the Government.

[@alamunez]

True, the privatisation of the railways was the beginning of the end, and the pandemic made everything a whole lot worse (despite the subsidies given to the railway companies).

[@erikthehalfabee6234]

A few years ago? Dutch railways were privatised much longer ago. Maybe even by the leftist purple coalition

[@SD-ko4tz]

Was toch echt ook D66 bij. Wordt wel eens vergeten. Net als Groenlinks en het afschaffen van de studiebeurs. En Asscher die met zijn flexwet voor een giga flexibilisering van de arbeidsmarkt heeft gezorgd

[@mikepictor]

I literally just booked my first Eurostar from Amsterdam to London half an hour ago before I saw your video. I compared it to flying prices, and it is definitely more expensive, but I am looking at it as an experience, and also I am very tall, and cramming myself into plane economy seats is annoying.

[@picobello99]

The Eurostar takes you right into the heart of the city at a decent hour. (Budget) flights usually go to Luton or Southend, about an hour from the city centre by underground train. And they often depart very early in the morning when no public transport runs yet, so you would have to take a taxi or book an airport hotel. Not as cheap as it seems 😁

[@MusicJunky3]

It's still running from A'dam? I thought you had to go fo Brussels?

[@peterpesch]

@@MusicJunky3 It will temporarily stop running from Amsterdam starting june 2024, not june 2023 ...

[@darioenholanda]

@@MusicJunky3 Starting from next year it will be from Brussels until they are done with the renovations, I believe.

[@JustMe-sh8nd]

If the NS did use busses... imagine what happens when one bus arrives ... people will kill each other because everybody feels entitled to get the first bus

[@cathalijnedewindt1880]

Great video! You're so right. Also train bathrooms are insufficient -> I always bring my own paper and a small bottle of water, in case they have run out (happens too often)

[@jeroent5079]

As a public transportation regular, I can tell you that the Dutch public transport system is generally pretty great. Most routes have intercity trains like every 30 minutes, some even every 10 minutes. Same for city busses, trams and subways. What is a challenge is: regional trains in the evening and in the weekend (many routes only once per hour), and regional bus lines (also often only once per hour). The real problem is that many Dutch people have pretty busy lives typically planned days or even weeks ahead (work appointments, school, meetings with friends, sports, etc). That makes them commuters rather than travellers. Because of their choices in life, they are not flexibel. I am a traveller. As a traveller, I go with the flow, so a hick-up in the system is not a problem, most of the times that is. E.g., if there are no trains, I will go see a movie or have a drink in a bar and 3 hours later or so, things have likely turned back to normal. If not and I have to stay overnight, I try to find a spot with warm coffee to hang around. Chances are there will be trains again around 6.00 AM.

[@zephyrus339]

Yeah, I'm a commuter but during commuting I go with the flow as well. Train delayed? Seldom more than 5 min and the train can recuperate that. Train cancelled? 30 Min to the next one. Problem with switched or track blocked? I know two alternative routes from work to my home. Also I kind of like the vibe during times of massive delays. It's like due to everyone struggling with the same problem creates some sort camaraderie. Everyone is more likely to joke with strangers they never met before. I'd say you can't find a train that's more gezellig then one that has been delayed by at least three hours.

[@davidschaftenaar6530]

👍🏼 Bravo! This is how the Netherlands stays in shape: People speaking up about it, when they see standards slipping and infrastructure deteriorating. It's a signal to the people in charge that something isn't getting the attention and funding it deserves.

[@quatra1000]

There are many reasons trains can be delayed but the most common ones are breakdowns. Also accidents happen with collisions with animals or, sadly, humans. Errors in signaling may also occur. Nowadays trains are very sophisticated with many computers and delicate electronis. It's bit like modern cars. Suddenly a light comes on without a clear indication of what is wrong. With trains running at high speeds the driver often has to stop, call technical service, run tests and sometimes have to wait for another train to tow it to a workshop.

[@RogierYou]

Last weekend outage was due to a software problem. Wondering if it was caused by hackers…

[@Krzysztof25XD]

Is VVD’s politics one of the biggest threats to NS?

[@mormacil]

It's the biggest threat to all our public infrastructure from healthcare to transportation.

[@Krzysztof25XD]

@@mormacil yet people vote for them, Dutch politics is so messed up I cannot even comprehend, 18 parties in TK, why??

[@mormacil]

@@Krzysztof25XD What's wrong with 18 parties? And people vote for them because they're anti immigrant, they tell people they keep the taxes low. People are inherently selfish so they appeal to that part of the psyche. Less immigration, lower taxes, more roads, more trade, less rules etc. Gotta make that green.

[@nienke7713]

​@@Krzysztof25XDVVD may be the largest party (although if the provincial elections are any sign, that might be changing) but don't confuse that with it being a majority, it's the largest minority, 22.87% of those who voted voted for a party for VVD, the other 77.13% voted for other parties, and that's not even counting the people who cast a blank vote, who cast an invalid vote, or who didn't vote at all.

[@Krzysztof25XD]

@@nienke7713 I still don’t get this system. Normally countries have like 7-8 parties with one major that wins and has the most powerful voice. NL can end up with 5-6 parties in the coalition, which would make the country simply ungovernable.

[@iWhacko]

yeah personel shortages are a big deal :(

[@andreimircea2254]

Well said! I agree with this video as an immigrant from Romania who wants to stay here for the same reason.

[@anjelmusic]

I work by Bijlmer ArenA and I took a 2 hour bus ride to get there Monday morning and there were a ton of people canping in the field outside the arena in the morning. And then going home my train broke down on the tracks and sat there for 30 minutes 😏

[@dutchman7623]

Well, we live in a democracy, and decisions have to be made, including those related to budget. In 1916 a storm flooded the area around the Zuiderzee, with a lot of damage, and life loss. Only than a majority in Parliament could be found to build the extremely costly Afsluitdijk. In 1953 a storm flooded big areas in Zeeland, Noord Brabant, and Zuid Holland, again with a lot of damage and loss of lives. Only than money, that was intended to rebuilt the Netherlands after WWII, was redirected to protect those in the South-West, and the Delta plan was started. You can spend money only once and a majority is needed in Parliament to do so. The train system in the Netherlands is one of the better ones in the world, Swiss and Japan are much better. But those rely heavier on trains than we do. So yes! The system can be improved, but that takes investments that cannot be spend on other items. Bottlenecks are being resolved, more stations are being build, frequency is going up, many level crossings are replaced by split level, fences are build to prevent 'jumpers' (main reason for delays), single track is replaced by double, intensively used double tracks are replaced by four tracks, security around stations is improved, stations get renovated or are replaced by brand new ones, bicycle parking around stations are multiplied in capacity... and a lot more. Further improvements are a national choice, if more money is needed, Parliament has to approve, but right now other project and items are granted the money. So a good reading of the program of political parties is needed, those parties who want to invest even more into trains should be elected. Every, at least four years, time we have the possibility to change the composition of Parliament. A choice made by the entire nation, all of us, not only train users.

[@Dynoboot]

During the pandemic, a lot of people left the NS. After the pandemic, trains got more irregular. Busses are only used for planned maintenance. They can't arrange a large numbers of bus drivers to stand ready in case something breaks.

[@nienke7713]

Replacement busses are used when there's scheduled maintenance, they can anticipate it and arrange that. A sudden software failure like happened in Amsterdam is something they can't suddenly srrange alternative transport for, especially if it's such a big failure that a lot of trains can't run all of a sudden.

[@peterpesch]

Yes, that's a big problen. To handle situations like this, you would have to keep 1000 extra busses on standby, which would only be used (spproximately) once a year. And those busses should be located at some central location like Utrecht, so they would be able to reach the place where they are needed within a couple of hours (Maastricht, Groningen, ...) Apart from that, you would need to have 1000 extra bus drivers on standby, who were only needed (approximately) once per year. And you would need some way to transport those 1000 spare bus drivers to the location of those 1000 spare busses, exactly at a time when public transport is failing and (therefor) most roads are jammed ...

[@hikefishcook6796]

Bussen are there but the drivers need to have free time to ... before the privatization there where drivers the have a waiting sift but now the a cut them to be more cost effective

[@peterpesch]

@@hikefishcook6796 But all available bus drivers will already be busy in a situation like that, so you cannot use them for those 1000 extra busses. So you will need 1000 extra bus drivers, and pay them all year long. (And you will still need some way to transport them to the 1000 extra busses, while public transport is unavailable and all roads are jammed)

[@peterpesch]

@@hikefishcook6796 And you say that the busses are there ... But I would expect that all available busses would already be used in an emergency situation like this ... So you will need extra busses for this, which are **not** being used in situations where lots of busses are needed ...

[@hikefishcook6796]

@@peterpesch buses that drive during the day are on the depot ... 15 years ago there where daily 20 drivers in reserve... now the citybuses have a short of drivers

[@bramvandijk88]

For the last year or so I've been going back and forth between Germany and the Netherlands (for work), and I guarantee you: the trains in the Netherlands are great. They aren't perfect (like e.g. in Switzerland or Japan), but they are great.

[@erikthehalfabee6234]

I like traveling by train, and due also to transit oriented development, there's enormous upward potential for train travel. It's a shame the train companies mess it up

[@whukriede]

Great video, Ava! It could be added that Dutch trains notwithstanding have become quite expensive and rates are increased every year.

[@williamgeardener2509]

And it looks like the fares are going to become more costly over the next few years. This was promised by a NS-official who said that increasing need for more investment in material would lead to higher fares. The car is becoming a much more economical way to travel.

[@JohnZonneveld]

I had a company car so only used the train occasionally to visit a customer at Bijlmer/Arena. My experience was pretty good as most of the times in the rush hours I was able to find a seat. Where technology is applied things can go wrong. MOJO said that they send out a SMS shortly after the start of the concert to the visitors to seek alternate transportation back home. They also opened the Ziggo Dome for people that would be unable to get home that night. It's different ti replace a train by a bus on a regular route than to provide sudden bus transport to a complete filled Arena. Of course some people might have parked at the Arena, or were able to get out with the additional metro's that were put into service. Maybe because of the privatization things aren't as good as organized as it used to be. It's still is a lot better than the trains here in Texas. 😉

[@VeryFastRodi]

I was working at the Arena that day, after the concert it was a big mess. Because nobody knew about the trains not going till after they were outside. Plenty of people were stuck at the Arena, metro was overcrowded and it was crazy with traffic trying to pick people up. I have not used public transport in the Netherlands for like 15 years at least. Since getting my license i am much more happy to drive, and be on a time of my choosing then being dependent on the time of the NS. And after getting my motorcycle license it was even better, no parking issues mostly and u get a lot closer to where u need to be

[@eckligt]

I don't know about the Netherlands in particular, but to my understanding EU law now forbids trains from being operated as public utilities. The tracks are possibly OK to run that way, but the trains need to be on a public tender that companies can bid on. Typically the former state monopolist is ends up being the major bidder and operator. But in any case, this transition to privatized railway services is why they are becoming worse across Europe.

[@TheSimArchitect]

I notice it happening with buses too. They used to be incredibly precise but nowadays there's a couple of minutes here and there. It's nothing terrible, but what worries me is the trend. 2 min today, maybe 10 tomorrow, perhaps 25 next year?

[@nicoledijkstra7168]

The problem is so big that the stakingen we had for busses were not only for money because the run plans are too strict which leads to a bus 2 minutes too late and thus the chauffeurs not getting any break

[@italorossid]

I live in Hoofddorp and study in Amsterdam, so all those Schiphol disruptions really affect me. there's werkzaamheden every other month and they last for at least two weeks at time. for the past 6 months, I've been arriving in uni either at least 15-30min early or JUST in time, it's insane!

[@manicantsettleonausername6789]

This was not just an issue for people getting to/from Amsterdam, but for anyone who needed to a train along a route that went to/from Amsterdam, which is a lot of them! My train to work the next morning was also cancelled, which sucked. I think a lot of the problems with NS are caused by their employee shortages, meaning trains are shorter and run less frequently, so they're already more busy even on regular days. Also, NS does (rightfully) get a lot of shit, but any time the issue is with the rail it's actually ProRail that's to blame, but they always somehow manage to avoid taking the blame. Anyway, I completely agree with the point of your video, I hope we can keep our infrastructure on a good level (we should've never privatised it, but that's another story). (Also: I'm the person who waved/said hi to you on the train in Utrecht after Pride, hope I didn't catch you by surprise too much!)

[@DutchAmericano]

Hi back!

[@nienke7713]

I think NS rather than ProRail gets the blame because that's what travellers themselves interface with, we don't deal with ProRail, we deal with NS (or other smaller train operators). NS is the one who then needs to deal with ProRail, essentially passing any blame on where appropriate. Also remember, a worker shortage is really just a wage shortage, they're just not willing to pay appropriate wages and thus can't get the amount of workers they need.

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

NS and Pro Rail are both state owned.

[@nienke7713]

@@Anonymous-sb9rr yes and no; the Dutch state owns all stocks/shares in these companies, but they act as independent for-profit companies that aren't directly controlled by the state like government organizations would be. As the majority (and only) shareholder the state could feasibly use this to push the business in a particular direction, potentially without needing to do it through the legislature but rather through executive action, but it doesn't really seem that our current right wing government has any intention to not have it run as if it's a completely private for-profit company.

[@dudie5403]

I think overall the trains are good but at times some things go wrong at a very bad timing like your first day at work. I once had a job in an other city so I had to take a train, because I hate being late I took a train earlier and then suddenly there was an announcement there was a defective train so no train was going to the city I need to go for atleast and hour. I felt so bad when I called work that I would be late. Lucky my dad could bring me but there was a traffic jam too... in the end I was late for half an hour. But that wasn't a big deal to them because I called them I would be late. Or going back home from a concert in Amsterdam. The concert ended early so I was in the train early at 9:30PM and stranded in Den Bosch at 1:30AM because everything along the way that could have gone wrong went wrong, defect train, wisselstoring, seinstoring, someone who jumped. Lucky my dad was still up so he picked me up. Staff was also working on getting an extra train for the people who stranded but that would at least take an hour and I was sooo tired.

[@ExitiumNL]

5:48 I do agree that public transportation is unreliable, also with the strikes earlier this year, but buses were no solution in this case. The concert ended somewhere around 23:00 I believe, so before everyone is out of AFAS Live (where Ghost performed) and especially the Arena with 55.000 people and is in or near a bus, it's at the very least 23:30 but probably later. Then the busses have to drive to another train station, Utrecht probably being the most likely. By the time the bus arrives there it's at least 0:30, and most people won't be able to get home anymore. To give you an idea, I had a concert in Tilburg last saturday and a friend missed her train at 23:05, so she couldn't get home anymore because she couldn't make the connecting train anymore. Arriving after 0:30 in Utrecht means some people might be able to get to major stations, but then people would be stranded there instead. It's much easier to arrange some form of emergency shelter at one location instead, especially with the Ziggo Dome being available that evening. For me, the unreliability and schedule is actually a reason not to use public transportation. I'm an avid concert goer and the friend I was talking about earlier is as well. She had multiple occasions where she had to leave early to make her last train home. If I was at the same concert I'd bring her, but we're not always going to the same concerts and she lives quite far away from the others, so it's not always possible. Also, where I live (village with a population of 1.500) there's an average of one bus per hour during daytime, and after 21:00 it would be impossible to get home at all just using public transportation. Add to that the fact that it's not much cheaper at all and travel times are 2 or 3 times as long on average, and it's not worth it. For me, traveling to Amsterdam for a concert for example would mean about € 35 total if I go by public transportation, with a travel time of about 2 hours one way. By car, it costs me about € 18 for fuel and € 15 for parking, and travel time is 50 minutes one way. Even without the reliability issues I'd go by car ever single time.

[@jbird4478]

With regards to buses they also said that the amount of people could cause safety issues. If you have 500 people trying to get on a single bus, it can get rowdy pretty fast.

[@mavadelo]

They had a computer crash, it can happen everywhere. Dutch trains are far from unreliable. Sometimes things happen that you can't control. And when it is late at night, it is not easy to get a few dozen busses. You not only need the busses, you need the people to drive them. NS has train drivers, not bus drivers. The Netherlands has one of the best public transport systems in the world. Their on time record is still above 90% often near 94%. This has been the case for years.

[@jeroen669]

If I'd say to my boss: 'Hey, I will be here 90% of my working days on time', I think he would NOT be amused.

[@mavadelo]

@@jeroen669 please name all the other countries with a 90 to 95% on time rate... The Netherlands is consistantly in the top 10 of most efficiennt train services. And if you are late because of the train, you know what your boss says? he says that you are a stupid idiot and should account for delays and take a train earlier. If you get to late to work it is your doing, not that of the public transport

[@ronaldderooij1774]

There is a problem with not enough staff to run the trains. But what happened in Amsterdam, was a computer problem. The Minister of Transport fined the NS the maximum fine for deviating from service. And as for highway enlargement, blame eastern Europe. That is not due to more cars, but to lorries (trucks) going fromthe ports of Rotterdam/Amsterdam to Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Germany.

[@jeroenfigee]

2:53 ---> "I can see clearly now, the t r a i n is gone" :-) . . . 7:20 - - Wow, car free district in Utrecht. That's a really good idea and not only for Utrecht. . Cool video, good rant ! :-) Thumbs up.

[@chrisvanderzwan]

Hello Ava. I am about ageneration older than you and it might surprise you: not to long ago trains in the Netherlands were proverbial for puncuality. There was a proverb 'stipt als een trein' meaning punctual as a train. Just as you I don't drive and trains for me were synonimus with travelling. And I loved it. Puncual, comfortable and cheap. Until those on high decided that everything would be better when ruled by the market. Trains before that were run and paid by the state. It is 30 years later now and I hate trains. I will do anything neccesary to avoid them.

[@upgradeplans777]

The way NS-busses are handled is, as far as I know, standard policy now. Namely: If there is a small problem, busses are provided and directions to them are made clear. If there is a medium problem: Busses are provided but you just have search for them yourselves. If there is a huge problem: No busses are provided. From an organizational perspective, I can understand this policy somewhat, but from a customer service perspective it is rather bizarre.

[@thomasr730]

can you imagine when there are a lot of people waiting for a bus for quite some time, and than 1 bus arriving? it'd going to be mayhem.

[@proman9849]

More if it's planned or not. It's like organizing a party if you know there are 500+ people coming you can prepare for it. If you know it a hour before you can do almost nothing.

[@upgradeplans777]

@@proman9849 What I heard about it a while ago, that is actually not the problem. NS has made good arrangements with bus companies for rentals on short notice, but they are more worried about the chaos that Thomas mentioned, which has led to the policy. Of course it could be that the policy and the reasons for it have changed since then.

[@jbird4478]

This wasn't the fault of NS though. It was ProRail. They're the company that runs all the rail infrastructure.

[@tjerkletzer7994]

I used to work for NS. It's a great company to work for. 98% of the 4800 trains a day are in time. Ever tried a train in India or Belgium? I rest my case! 😂 And regarding to the buses: NS has to rent the busses from bus companies. It cannot always be possible to get a bus on time...

[@freudsigmund72]

Public transport works if you live in one of the four major cities. And appearently this has become another channel that views everything from the perspective of a major city. For the 80% of the population that does not live in one of the major cities, it is pretty much impossible to rely on public transport (unless you enjoy spending way too much time getting anywhere and don't mind being restrained to hours between morning and evening, as late evening and night there is (virtually) no public transport). But if the trains are a hassle these days for urbanites, imagine it is exponentially worse for people outside the major cities.

[@Treinbouwer]

Ik zit dagelijks in de trein en soms zijn er periodes waarin de trein er minimaal eens in de week uit ligt. Echt iritant.

[@Doubleranged1]

"additional hours added to travel time just to get somewhere." This is just not true in the Netherlands. People like to complain about NS and delays, but several hours extra is just not an accurate representation of the situation.

[@onehandcowboy]

I have the same problem here in Belgium. I was looking to go to the concert of Two Steps From Hell with my son at Vorst Nationaal. We can get there with the train, no problem. BUT getting back ............. there is no train 'till the next morning. And this is no fun for someone with autism (my son). So I hope the concert comes out on DVD or something ;-) Shame.

[@AshleyBromiley]

Meanwhile in NJ there's a Taylor Swift concert and all of NJ Transit is out on the front lines at the crack of dawn coordinating how to get the Swifties to and from MetLife. NJ is no NL but we sure know how to plan around an event like that.

[@ronschellekens5111]

There was a software malfunction! Safety first isn"t?

[@2Fast4Mellow]

@@ronschellekens5111 Was there no backup system? Not sure if you know Amtrak reputation, but even they have redundant systems for critical infrastructure. Sounds more like a convenient excuse, similar to claiming they have been hacked... (i.e. not our fault)

[@johnk3677]

I LIVED IN THE NETHERLANDS FROM 1991-96 AT A TIME WHEN THE TRAIN SYSTEM WAS ALL GOVERNMENT OWNED; THE SYSTEM WAS EFFICIENT, WELL RUN, AFFORDABLE AND PUNCTUAL. I HEARD THAT WITH PRIVATIZATION PROBLEMS DEVELOPED- AND YOUR VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS. SORRY :(

[@nagranoth_]

Why are you yelling?

[@nfboogaard]

I was at the Ghost concert that same evening, but I left home late enough to hear about the trains so I hopped in my car. I would have loved to give you and your wife a ride home. Too bad!

[@kevonvideo]

The substitute busses are normal with planned railworks, not with malfunctions. Unfortunately, it's not realistic to arrange busses for such enormous volumes of people last minute.

[@gordonwallin2368]

Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

[@palantir135]

Since they split the NS into NS and Railpro things went wrong. It’s not NS fault that the trains didn’t ride but ProRail. They are responsible for the safety, the signs, railway crossings etc. NS only is responsible for the trains themselves and the people that work in and around the trains.

[@vogel2280]

To me trains were never an answer to any question (except "how should that horrible driver get to his/her destination?") It's running from somewhere you are not to somewhere you don't need to be at a time that is hugely inconvenient. But on the plus-side you sit next to someone eating a curry that has not taken a shower for days.

[@LuiePool]

Did you hear about the fine? So the NS got heavily subsidised at the end of Covid. As part of the deal, timetables were to remain unchanged. They failed to do so however, and are now being fined 1.5 million euros. _But_ our government is not going to collect it; they ordered the NS to invest the money in a way that is beneficial to passengers, so that their services improve noticeably. So who knows! Keep up hope!

[@j0hnn13K]

You have not experienced it, but when it was still a state company (NS), we rarely had issues like this, and when it did occur, they made sure people would get to their destinations, by bus and sometimes even by taxi. Privatizing the rail network is just 1 of many mistakes our current and previous politicians have made over the years, all in the name of "markt werking" which basically is the Dutch political way of saying "capitalism", competition would lower costs, trains would get cheaper, better run because of competition.... But that's the fun part, there is no real competition, so.. costs went up, quality went down, but at least the "books look good" right? (no they don't.. lol) Ah well, even if i have been far from happy with the state of affairs at NS for a long time now, in general they are pretty dependable.. as long as you avoid the major hubs. But on the front of costumer service?.... NS is not a shade of what it used to be sadly.

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

NS and Pro Rail are both state owned.

[@j0hnn13K]

@@Anonymous-sb9rr ze werken samen, het staat niet meer onder leiding van de overheid.

[@dutchyjhome]

Yeah, sigh...unfortunately you are right. One thing though: The Arena you are referring to is called since 2018: The Johan Cruyff ArenA. That other name you used has been replaced by this name. When it comes down to trains and going on time... well due to shortage of personnel the NS will have to shorten the trains (legislation wise spoken). So wanna be part of the solution: go work at NS ;-)

[@Rob2]

The station is still called Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA.

[@dutchyjhome]

@@Rob2 Really..? Ok, well there I go; caught being a non Openbaar vervoer user...Nevertheless referring to the stadium; that name with Z-Dome in it, has been replaced by Johan Cruyff ArenA, so basically we are both right, since I was referring to the name Ava used to refer to the stadium (Z-Dome) and not to the station name.

[@Rob2]

@@dutchyjhome Ziggo Dome has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Johan Cruyff ArenA! These are two completely different venues both in that same area and both served by teh Amsterdam Bijmer ArenA station.

[@tomvdijk6405]

Dat er hier bussen worden ingezet als treinen niet rijden is voor ons heel ‘gewoon.’ En als dat een keer niet gebeurd is er gelukkig weer wat om over te klagen. Maar noem eens een ander land waar bussen worden ingezet als er een treinstoring is? We zijn hier eigenlijk best wel verwend.

[@fritskoning9927]

Nou ja je heb in ieder geval genoten van Harry Styles daar kan je met plezier op terugkijken

[@eddys.3524]

You're right... NS did f***-up big time. In the first place they had to explain better what happend and try to help as good as possible. I understand they don't have 1000 busses available, but what they could have done was to bring people by bus to Utrecht CS and have them travel home from there by train. It night have taken them well into the night, but they'd shown some good-will..

[@a3veis371]

en lucht het op?

[@i.k.8868]

The first part of that car-free neighborhood has been built, but there is no bus stop. Even though multiple bus routes pass it, they forgot to plan a stop... The city of Utrecht also has absolutely no say in the widening of the A27. The national government is conservative and they really despise the progressive coalition in Utrecht, so they just deny any requests or proposals made by the city. If the A27 is widened, it will become the highway with the most lanes in Europe. :(

[@CultureCompassTV]

You are officially Dutch now, congratulations. Interesting video also. I don't use the train much but last time I did I was that one person late because of a 30 minute delay.

[@r.a.h7682]

Je hoeft niet mensen te gaan motiveren om nog negatiever over Nederland te praten. Er is niks "Nederlands" aan zeiken.

[@CultureCompassTV]

@@r.a.h7682 It was a joke...

[@wooisdebaanhoof]

Last 10-15 years the network has been massively updated and expanded. (see how Utrecht centraal changed) and it is still in progress. So you can experience delays and deviations without the"normal delays caused by accidents. The Eurostar problem is because they have to make space for UK customs which is needed since that Brexit stupidity. So for now we have to live with it.

[@jpdj2715]

In Dutch we can understand something - I understand: "ik begrijp 't" but at the same time we can say: "ik heb er geen begrip voor" - I do not appreciate it. Wordplay, yes, but totally seriously applicable here. The problem is the powers that be do not seem to understand it and every time they "improve" something, it is almost good enough - that is, not good enough. Sixty years ago, travelling by train was for the poor who did not have a car and trains ran with few passengers, but always on time. No problems, ever. Sort of. In the past 30 years, with increasing traffic jams in the rush hours, car drivers rushed to the trains back again in large numbers. At the same time, the system went through major systemic changes. Under EU laws or regulation, "we", the NL, had to take our train system from public/market to private/market. To make that happen, the infrastructure - tracks and stations - is placed under the infrastructure company "Prorail" and the trains are run by an operating company like "NS" (the Dutch abbreviation for "Dutch Railways") that is the logical extension of the old NS that prior ran everything. The complication of that divorce still is felt and from 99.8% punctuality, we probably are at 89% today. In the way airports have Air Traffic Control that is not run by airlines, we have train traffic control run by - because infrastructure - Prorail. What happened in and around Amsterdam was pure infrastructure. A second complication is the density of trains on our tracks that is huge relative to other countries. You may find that trains in Japan operate within seconds from published time tables and a train driver might kill themselves for being 30 seconds late. But the reality of the Japanese infrastructure is that there are no track switches for there trains and every route is A-B-A-B, etc., with no or almost no switches. The track switches in the Netherlands each have a switch heater, for example, that needs to heat the switch in case it freezes or else the switch cannot be operated. You can see the green cabinets near switches with a label on them "wisselverwarming" (switch heater - are they still there?). So the rail engineers had to make capacity guesses when designing these. That's difficult, and so they took an easy approach: they copied the capacity applied in the Swiss Alps. Should be enough, right? No. When it freezes with polar wind and precipitation, this can be a problem for switches to get stuck. In Switzerland you may have one or two switch operations per hour, but here that can easily be eight. And while the Swiss need these heaters every winter, we only need them occasionally. Why solve this? Every morning, special trains may brush/polish the rails before the day's timetable starts, but in autumn when trees become deciduous in combination with some wind and rain, the tracks can become slippery again. You can hear experienced rail travellers say "leaves on the tracks" when the falling of fall happens. Trains run on smooth metal tracks with metal wheels that have metal 'tires' and this gives an extremely low rolling resistance, except with wet leaves between the wheels and the tracks, getting up to speed becomes difficult to impossible. There will be sand spreaders with the wheels driven by motors, but that does not work well enough. So there are excuses all over the place that are used for known problems that may have a solution except they are not solved because the fine is not paid by the party that has to solve it. Our political leaders have grown our economy by allowing the population to grow. 17 to 18 million was 12 million about 50 years ago. These people travel or commute. Take population out of the growth numbers and our "growth" we are proud of may be negative, though. So while the system was between menopause and dying, sixty years ago, it went into baby's growing pains, then into adolescent fights for independence, and in the meantime all environmental variables changed. Is it bad? Generally not. As 95% of train trips are probably made with NS trains, there's this app by NS called "Reisplanner" (trip planner) that informs about, say, track maintenance (by Prorail) that disables a certain section, giving delays (to NS). Use the app at all times. In the past the app as been more accurate than what was shown on the overhead displays in railway stations - maybe the app is directly from NS and the stations from Prorail. Delays can happen because of accidents - say a collision between a train and a person (we generally don't call that suicide, while it generally is). In the past we had mental institutions where people that could do this got locked up, and chances of the train being used as DIY guillotine were slim (the irony was though that all those mental institutions of the past were at short walking distance of railway tracks and mental cases escaped occasionally). Considering al these switches, comparing that with, say, the Paris Métro (underground light rail - it actually has no rails and the trains ride on rubber tires), comparing with, say, the London Underground (AKA Tube), while we are "amused to death", quoting Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame, "it's a miracle" that we occasionally incidentally are able to get from A to Z via I, J, K and X. That all said, I hope you have figured out where I am between understanding and appreciation.

[@BrazenNL]

If you're not satisfied with the train service, I think _should_ complain, as I think it's a basic service. Just look at the "fine" NS is getting: 1.5 million Euro.

[@chandniajmera]

Thank you for talking about this, Eva. I can relate to this so much! One of my many reasons for moving to the Netherlands was that there are good public transport options available, as compared to most places in India. However, lately it has been becoming more and more unreliable, in my experience. And the other thing I find strange is how it's a lost opportunity and a waste of great infrastructure that's already there! For instance, I recently learnt about this "commuter town", Purmerend which has 3 train stations. 3. However, the frequency of trains to Schiphol is extremely low, and a connection to any major hub station like Amsterdam Zuid/Utrecht/Bijlmer doesn't exist! No wonder there are cars everywhere. It's such a pity. Sigh.

[@Hensepens64]

I suppose you mean DIRECT trains to Schphol. Well. Not every station in the Netherlands has a direct service to Schiphol all the time. Yet Purmerend has a direct service every 30 minutes and another service every 30 minutes with one transfer. So you have a connection 4 times in the hour (Daytime). Utrecht with one transfer twice a hour. And regarding Amsterdam Zuid. We have a lot of tracks in this country. But not from Sloterdijk to Amsterdam Zuid. And this makes it impossible to have that direct service. You can't have it all... To be Dutch direct.. I think your view is a bit "kort door de bocht". Recently we did have issues.. but compared with how many trains we have on daily basis. We were a bit unlucky recently. And also the NS has issues with staffing.

[@harmbooij8241]

The minute I read the comment, I knew you went to Harry Styles concert. :)))

[@Nerd3927]

I used to take the train with passion. No I drive every where. NS is fined for being late. When things go wrong it is cheaper to do nothing. Note that trains could still operate, but without a schedule so it is no use. Stupid government is to blame.

[@jpfoto64]

i think that these items are nothing new, it 's probably just that you are loosing you're pink sunglasses after living for several years in thje netherlands.

[@jvdh78]

Haha, you're integrating so well, complaining the trains not being guaranteed. Did you already complain about the rainy day's bike ride's wet jacket and hair? And don't forget the Tesla's quietness scaring you on your bike, while you can't hear it. 👍

[@halapunjete]

The government made concerted efforts to promote widespread reliance on public transportation, employing various strategies such as imposing exorbitant costs on car usage, including excessively high fines for speeding and parking violations, increasing gas prices, and imposing road taxes with the purpose of generating revenue. Consequently, when train services are unavailable, Dutch society faces significant challenges due to the absence of viable alternatives. The cost of utilizing ride-hailing services and taxis is often prohibitively expensive, sometimes even surpassing the expense of a round-trip flight to Rome, leaving individuals essentially stranded.

[@ronhoek69]

Foreigners always say that trains in the Netherlands are so great and reliable when they first encounter them. Once they're living here they develop and adopt the Dutch way of life which contains complaining about the weather and public transport to name but a few.

[@eddiesimone3568]

Trains are very reliable, unless they strike. Also things are frustrated for other reasons, "they" want us to travel less, for the greater good or whatever.

[@ottot3221]

I think you should complain to Harry Styles, I mean, he invites people to his concert and if some can't get home it's rude to not offer them a hotel stay and a nice dinner as a good host should do. Anyway, I hope you put a complain down at NS as complaining on social media will only get you so far.

[@lexburen5932]

corrupt prorail and NS is a big problem since after 1997 the railway got privatized. its still not as bad as the UK or US. but even dutch people acknowlegde that rail privatisation was a big mistake.

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

NS and Pro Rail are both state owned. What they did is to allow other companies to compete.

[@lordsleepyhead]

You're absolutely right, the NS has been getting noticibly worse in the past years. They really need to get their shit togehter. Guess it figures having VVD in government for so long, they are the pro-car, anti-public transportation party. They're not going to learn; this failing policy towards public transportation is by design. Make it fail to justify defunding it. We seriously need a different party in government who will get this country back on track (pun intended).

[@toonseten]

You are getting too Dutch. LOL. complaining is one of the things we like. And the weather is great, so we only have gov. or ov. Love your channel.

[@myrtheengeman4787]

Wait you had a time trains were reliable here in the Nederlands??? Every week I need to take the train from NS to another company. So NS is always late... they don't call the other company. When it's from NS to NS its fine but I stranded multiple times because of bad communication. Only NS has train replacements with busses Arriva and blauwnet are horrible when there is a train or bus not going you just don't have a way out. So multiple times I had to ride my bike to the closest city with an NS station (1 hour ride...) It worries me that if people needed to go to the hospital and don't have a car, they just can't get there... They even moved the emergency room to a bigger city (1,5 hour by bike). I'm not happy about all the public transport here in the netherlands. I even downloaded an app "ov info" to see if there is a bus on time I had never a bus or train with less then 5 minutes delay. 😅😅 If you have more than 1,5 hour delay you can get your money back. I had some months could pay the monthly gas bill with the compensation money from NS and blauwnet 😅🤣 Sorry for my bad English. I like your video's 😊😊

[@RealConstructor]

I live at the border of our public transport concession area, about 22km from Schiphol Airport, which is in a different concession area. I work 2 days a week at Schiphol Airport, but because our busses only enter the neighboring concession area for a few kilometers, I have to transfer twice and have a total travel time of 1:07 to get to work. By car it takes 20minutes, so everyone working at Schiphol Airport and lives in my municipality (there are a lot) goes to Schiphol Airport by car. Some go by e-bike, which I don’t have. It is just crazy, living so close to work and you can’t get there quickly by public transport. It would be a blessing to have a bus every hour to Schiphol Airport.

[@jschouten1985]

"NS is always late"....that's bullshit: more than 93% of the trains ride as scheduled

[@arondammeyer2389]

Im travelling by "Arriva" or "Breng" and they suck even more.

[@Rinusj1]

ugh i could write an encyclopedia on the bad experiences i've had with this company..it used to be a state company. when it was it was more reliable and a lot cheaper...i want to keep my comment short(too late) but here in my apartment i must have like 3 closets full with sorry's /excuses etc. they should actually give money back or at least do something back to the people as they are just not living up to the expectations. i think as a company they're a 4 out of 10 and the government is lacking to do something about it eventho it's privatised now it is a part of public transport and it should be 1 affordable for everybody and 2 reliable ...and if a thing like this happened that happened sunday they should take care of the forensics it's absolute horrible that people have to sleep in stations/airport etc. this company should be brought to court for their yearlong failing.

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

NS and Pro Rail are both state owned.

[@woutbakker7319]

Keep up ranting! Especially from you, Dutch Americano. Maybe it'll help. Well, after all the problem is clear. Travelling does cost more time than you might want to expect. If you travel by car, you have te reckon with > 30' waiting in a traffic jam. But then, many of the problems with NS are related to the pandemic. During the pandemic travelling by train was all but forbidden. Before the pandemic NS enthousiasticly started experimenting with 10'-services on the main routes. During and after the pandemic this was no longer feasible. The train system has to recover, and that will take time ... The problems in Amsterdam might have been an incident. Though, the system is so complex, it is due that incidents happen ... Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the concert. And keep up using the railway system.

[@thevoid5503]

LOL. First time ? People have been mocking and bitching about the NS for as long as I can remember.

[@sit-insforsithis1568]

This is hilarious, someone from Utrecht of all places moaning about public transport

[@AlexK-yr2th]

Sorry, but this video is a disappointment. In the US, trains come only a few times a day, often not on time, expensive and the service is horrible according to your own previous video. Now in The Netherlands, 1 time there is a problem you are confronted with but that is not food for video. Where is your own responsibility? You (or your wife) can drive a car, use the bus, order an Uber, take your bike, arrange a lift, carpool and so many other options. But you choose to live in Utrecht and want to go to Amsterdam and expect everything to be arranged for you all the time. The Netherlands isn't perfect, neither is the train service but is this good enough for a video out of spite as if this happens all the time where in reality it is a teeny weeny exception? We all cycle a lot to go shopping, go to work, visit family and friends, use public transport, walk but most still own a car for those cases it's needed where the public option is not available or disturbed. If you choose to live a carefree life that is fine, if that is a reason why you love The Netherlands so much, even better but you carry your own responsibility when it is not available of course. There are many areas in The Netherlands where public transport is not as available as in "De Randstad" and we get around just fine. Because we think ahead and make sure we are not tide down to the just 1 option. You make yourself dependent to the just 1 choice and then post a video when that for once doesn't work out for you. That is not right....

[@hardanheavy]

Privatization. Turbo capitalism. This stuff happens because of the ill advised idea that whatever activity humans take part in, someone needs to make a huge profit of it. NS was fine before some government decided to sell them to their buddies. Not perfect, but things have become worse and worse ever since. We better get used to it, because the majority of Dutch people want this sort of thing to happen. Else they wouldn't vote Rutte...

[@Anonymous-sb9rr]

The Dutch government still owns the NS, it hasn't been privatised.

[@Hrn250]

Things can go wrong also in the Netherlands due to a malfunction or something similar, but that does not mean that our public transport, the train, is certainly not functioning badly. That can happen everywhere. Compare our rail network with many other countries, then it's really not that bad here, on the contrary , especially if you compare it with public transport in the US

[@r.a.h7682]

The situation with that harry guy was because of operating system of Amsterdam NS didn't work for some reason. It can happen, right? Do you really expect them to be able to use buses for all the trains in Amsterdam? Situation like this has literally never happened before (not in my life at least) so to be mad about the fact that they didn't have other options is pretty dumb. No its not ''Dutch'' to like to complain, people that complain about stuff like this are just too spoiled. Give it a few years, corona did a lot of harm.

[@sadik_9951]

dit is net als zeggen dat 1 minuut te laat komen net zo erg is als een uur te laat komen . Het is logisch dat niet alle treinen vervangen konden worden, maar als iniedergeval zoveel mogelijk bussen gestuurd werden. De overlast tot een minimum beperken.

[@ronschellekens5111]

@@sadik_9951 En waar haal je die zo snel vandaan voor zo'n groot aantal mensen? In een bus kunnen 50 mensen dus tel uit.

[@sadik_9951]

@@ronschellekens5111 ik zeg toch dat ik snap dat het teveel reiziger zijn. Ik zeg alleen dat iedere reiziger die je wel mee kunt nemen met de bus er Iniedergeval 1 minder is

[@vincenzodigrande2070]

Ava, you are becoming so Dutch! 🤔😉 The trains do let us down, and as if cursed they tend to do so when you really need them. In the past I have looked after my aunts house when she was travelling, it was in Baarn, and my school was in Bussum. The trains apparently had the same problem there every day, and running their schedule too quick, which they resolved by starting it late, resulting in me getting on about ten minutes or more later than they should, getting late at school. The next earlier option was a half hour earlier, needless to say I found that a bit too extreme in my studying years....😅

[@LittleRum]

Are the dutch focused on beauty/ appearances? I've been talking with a guy from the netherlands for a year and a half now and have noticed he is very... umm... almost vain? lol He is in fact gorgeous but he focuses so much more on clothing, his hair being perfect and his appearance than any american man i've ever encountered. I hate to think he is vain but I have no experience with this, and find men who are humble even more appealing so I question if this is a cultural difference or simply his personality. So sorry for how rude this comes across.

[@chipdale490]

This guy you're talking about seems to be the polar opposite of a typical Dutch man. 😉

[@bobosims1848]

You're really starting to fit in, Ava, complaining about trains and their schedules. Welcome to 'het Nederlanderschap'. In fact, I agree that it could've been better. And back when the train system was govenrment-owned, it WAS better, as crap like this would not have happened. But then they up and privatized it, and now all kinds of smaller companies, who fail to see the big picture, each run their own local part of it without thinking of the public and their needs. Even if this was an unforeseen circumstance, there should've been an emergency plan that they could activate at a moment's notice. The fact that they didn't, means that any time an unforseen situation comes up, there's gonna be this kind of chaos AGAIN.

[@banerjeearundhati22]

I think your statement , heading is absolutely wrong. Trains are basic backbone of communication in Netherlands. We have stayed and used trains extensively. In Summer, usually they have delays due to maintenance work. If you understand that then your observation are not right in social media

[@Paul_C]

I don't understand what you are saying. At present there are two problems they are dealing with. And that is normal. However there is a third problem that plagues the Netherlands and that is more systematic. Basically two problems stem from how NS is organised: NS as the organisation to move people, and the other one Rail maintenance. At the moment they are introducing a new train, and those have a diminished capacity, at least from the users point of view: The new trains on the major routes transport fewer people per wagon. So the train should be longer, but there are fewer in operation it seems. Second problem is the shortage of personnel: Many are on the brink of retirement and can be only remedied by the employment of more people. And 'we' lack enough bodies to fill vacancies. The third problem: We still have a government in power that is driven by profit. And that needs to change FAST. Road building isn't the way of the future, yet dear VVD keeps building them. More rail, be that tram or train, is needed soonest, and please instead of busses can we have trams back? Something like 'het bels lijntje' could become a backbone for ZO Brabant. 😂

[@wisecat.]

Due to my chronical illness I barely take public transportation. I drive quite comfy in my little car

[@jwenting]

you're not in love with Dutch trains, you're in love with trains in and around Utrecht. The further you get from Utrecht, the worse train service becomes until when you get in Limburg or Drenthe there is next to no service at all.

[@Rob2]

You have not completely understood the situation. You say you are talking about NS, but that is not really true. NS is the company that operates the actual trais, these guys give you those nice new comfortable trains. But your experience last sunday was not caused by NS, but rather by Prorail. That is the company that installs and maintains the tracks that the NS trains (and those from other companies) run on. They often have issues with their operation, often caused by computer problems. I'd say they are incompetent, as this occurs over and over again and despite promises it is never fixed. Hence the unreliability. And this is also exacerbated by "safety before everything" culture in the Netherlands. When in the US there would be problems with signaling, they just run the trains slower. In the Netherlands everything comes to a standstill when the signalling system is inoperative, because nobody wants to be responsible for any problems caused by them giving a go-ahead for a limited service without the utmost security. So that is why you got stuck at the concert. The (NS) trains were OK, the tracks were fine, it was just some computer that did not work, and nobody wanted to take the risk to let some trains run directly from Amsterdam to Utrecht with limited speed.

[@Rinusj1]

en Pro rail is onderdeel van welk bedrijf? juist NS railinfratrust :D

[@LuiePool]

@@Rinusj1 oorspronkelijk wel, maar in 2002 juridisch gescheiden van de NS en hernoemd als Railinfratrust BV.

[@tiniselles]

Come on, Eva. Dutch railway had a big software breakdown, that had never happened before. Sh.. happens. I understand you were pis… ,but you just can’t control everything in life. Be fare, this hiccup could have happened in every country.

[@petergeuke]

Overdreven filmpje.

[@erikmulder2574]

Hi Ava, I agree this was really annoying, and yes NS deploys busses when a route has issues. However, this was a totally different situation where the control center of the trains was blacked out and all the lines from Amsterdam to other cities had to be cancelled. I think for that reason, the reaction from NS was correct, there were not enough busses available. Still really bad, however not something NS could have resolved that night. The delays we see more and more is due to the scarcity of employees I guess. Somehow we ended op with way more job openings than we have people to fill these jobs. Not sure what to do about that, but we have our politicians, Rutte will fix it. 🫣