If you live in the Eastern and Southern parts of the Netherlands, your usual train ride to work might not make its way to the station this week. 🚂
The regional NS strikes have left Nederlanders feeling rather irked lately.
Last week, many of us in the North-West regions had to face the hindrance of 30-minute train delays at NS stations — or no trains at all, for that matter. 🤦♀️
This week, those within the Eastern and Southern regions of the Netherlands will be hit by the strike the most. And, with that, we wish you luck. 🤞
This week, in strikes
Today, people can still expect train traffic to and from Haarlem and Amsterdam due to NS strikes.
The NS staff plans to make their way to the central regions of the Netherlands tomorrow, where train cancellations and delays will affect those travelling to and from Utrecht, Amersfoort, Gouda, and Hoofddorp.
On Wednesday, trains in the Eastern and Southern regions will be stopped, which applies to the following cities:
- Arnhem
- Breda
- Den Bosch
- Deventer
- Ede-Wageningen
- Eindhoven
- Enschede
- Heerlen
- Hengelo
- Maastricht
- Nijmegen
- Roosendaal
- Sittard
- Venlo
- Vlissingen
- Zutphen
Need a complete overview of exactly when and where to expect train strikes this week? RTL Nieuws laid it out nicely for us. 👌
It’s not just local trains
This week’s strikes are even going as far as to affect international trains, where none will grace the rails from Amsterdam to Berlin and Basel, and only a few will successfully arrive in Frankfurt.
READ MORE | The chaos continues: fewer NS trains to run in 2023 due to staff shortage
If you’re looking to snag a ticket to Vienna or Zurich, then you’ll have better luck taking the ICE. 😬
Compensation? It’s possible
If your train isn’t running due to a strike, you might be able to request compensation through NS’s strike scheme.
On the day of the strike, they will announce whether the striking scheme is effective on NS.nl. If it is, then you’re entitled to one of the two following schemes:
- The NS Delay Refund Scheme (GTBV),
- Compensation for alternative transportation of up to €25 a day per person.
If you decide on the refund scheme, then keep in mind that you’re no longer entitled to compensation for alternative transportation and vice versa.
Did you have to personally deal with the NS strikes recently? Tell us in the comments below! 👇