Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) has confirmed that significantly fewer trains are running between The Hague and Rotterdam on Thursday, February 16 as a result of a broken railway switch near Schiedam.

NS adjusts timetable due to broken railway switch in Schiedam

NOS reports that the damaged switch point was discovered on part of the tracks near Schiedam on Wednesday night. While ProRail had intended to repair the damage during the day on Thursday, staff shortages and the scale of the damage means the repairs won’t be carried out until Thursday evening at the earliest.

Because of a crack in the switch, trains are unable to travel on that part of the track at the regular speed. This means NS is operating a significantly reduced timetable; only a third of services are running on the track running between The Hague HS, via The Hague Centraal and Delft through to Rotterdam Centraal.

Reduced rail services due to last all day on February 16

The adjusted timetable will last throughout the day on Thursday, also affecting the evening rush hour, with an NS spokesperson explaining to NOS that even once the repairs have been completed, “it will take another hour to an hour and a half before everything runs according to the timetable again.”

Rail replacement buses are running between stations at Delft Campus and Schiedam. NS advises anyone planning to travel by public transport on Thursday to check the up-to-date travel information on their website.

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