Nightmare: hundreds locked in pitch-black NS train for hours with no food or drink

Is this the pitch for the latest Netflix horror show? Nee hoor, it’s just one chapter in the ongoing saga of ‘look what the NS did now’, featuring a broken train, a failed evacuation, and a horde of angry passengers! 🤬

Roughly a thousand passengers were stuck on a ‘nightmare train’ en route to Utrecht Thursday evening, reports NU.nl.

Departing The Hague at 5:55 PM went off without a hitch, and it wasn’t until the train abruptly stopped that passengers realised that… *dun dun dunnn* something was terribly wrong. 🦇

No light and no loo

In the hours following the train’s breakdown at Moordrecht, weary passengers were forced to endure a complete failure of lighting and toilets.

Running outside to have a quick wee in the bushes was also off the table, with the train doors unable to be opened. (Is anyone else feeling claustrophobic?)

Stranded in the dark and waiting for an evacuation, some passengers took to social media to criticise the NS’s handling of the situation. Check out the darkness below:

Translation: Poor information @NS. It’s been two and a half hours now with no reliable information. #ns #stranded #train

People with places to see and things to do were understandably incredibly frustrated.

Translation: Some bonding time on the train fixed between The Hague cs – Utrecht cs @NS_online. A club of law students having a Christmas(?) dinner can no longer attend, a man who has to miss his wife’s delivery, and cake is passed around because it’s someone’s birthday. What a day

All attempts to tow the stricken train failed due to a defect, and it wasn’t until midnight that passengers were finally evacuated.

Translation: Evacuation #ns #stranded #train @NS

However, even the evacuation wasn’t without its fair share of craziness. After loading all evacuated passengers on a second train, this train was made to wait for permission in order to start driving.

Thankfully, some were able to make light of the 💩 situation.

Translation: Finally at our destination, after almost six hours on the train. Would rather have gone to Paris 😅 #ns #train #stranded

What do you think of the saga of the nightmare train? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

Liana Pereira 🇱🇰
Liana Pereira 🇱🇰
Liana juggles her role as an Editor with wrapping up a degree in cognitive linguistics and assisting with DutchReview's affiliate portfolio. Since arriving in the Netherlands for her studies in 2018, she's thrilled to have the 'write' opportunity to help other internationals feel more at home here — whether that's by penning an article on the best SIMs to buy in NL, the latest banking features, or important things to know about Dutch health insurance.

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