Monday rush hour rail strike means no trains in Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, or West-Brabant
Dutch national railway NS confirmed the cancellation of passenger train service during Monday morning's rush hour in the provinces of Zuid-Holland and Zeeland, and the western portion of Noord-Brabant. The strike by ProRail traffic center workers in Rotterdam, The Hague and Roosendaal will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., but delays and cancellations are likely throughout the rest of the morning.
The issue will have a definite impact on those looking to travel to or from Rotterdam, The Hague, Breda, Dordrecht, Gouda, Roosendaal, Vlissingen and Alphen aan den Rijn. International high speed trains will also be delayed or out of service on routes between Belgium, Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the NS said on Friday.
There will also be fewer trains running to Schiphol Airport in the morning. This is in addition to rail works already planned on Monday that will affect trains "to, from and via Schiphol Airport station on Monday," the NS said.
People traveling between Haarlem or Hoofddorp and the southern region of the country will also likely experience delays and inconvenience. Travelers are warned to check the most recent information on the NS website for delays or cancelations.
The trade union FNV announced their strike at the ProRail three traffic control posts on Monday. More ProRail strikes are planned after this. There will be a strike at the traffic control posts in Eindhoven and Maastricht on Wednesday, and ProRail employees in Zwolle, Groningen, and Arnhem will stop work on November 22. Three earlier strikes took place, including in the Central Netherlands region earlier on Friday, and Noord-Holland a few days earlier
The regional strike actions were initiated after contract talks stalled. The FNV is demanding an average 13 percent wage increase for ProRail employees, claiming that this is needed due to inflation. But these demands have not been met by ProRail as of yet.
The two sides are far apart, with ProRail having gone no higher than an average 5.2 percent pay bump in its final offer. Two other unions already agreed to the ProRail proposal.
