Status: 03.04.2022 18:53
In long-distance traffic between Germany and the Netherlands, at least ICE trains can run again after considerable disruption. In the Netherlands, the trains are still standing still. The reason is a software glitch in the traffic control system.
There were significant disruptions to long-distance traffic between Germany and the Netherlands on Sunday. On the ICE route from Frankfurt am Main to Utrecht, the trains between Utrecht and Mönchengladbach were canceled in both directions, as a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn in Berlin said. In the meantime, the ICE trains could run along the entire route again.
On the IC route from Berlin via Hanover to Amsterdam, train traffic was not interrupted. However, there were delays, which could still occur, the spokeswoman continued. According to the Dutch state railway company NS, the reason for the disruption to rail traffic was a software glitch.
Train traffic collapsed in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands itself, almost nothing went on the rails anymore. Train traffic had largely collapsed. According to media reports, thousands of travelers waited at train stations after a system relevant to the safety of rail traffic failed at around 10 a.m. and no train from the state railway company NS had been rolling since around 12 p.m.
Rail operator NS said trains would be halted until 5pm while efforts were made to fix the problem. However, it remained unclear whether the trains would actually roll again later in the evening. “We strongly advise against traveling or, if you are already travelling, looking for other travel options,” the NS website said.
“It’s a real shitty day”
After hours of unclear exactly what the problem was, a railway spokesman explained that a system had failed that coordinated the deployment planning of the trains, taking into account incidents such as diversions that are currently necessary. Without this system, security cannot be guaranteed. “And that is essential so that the traffic can take place according to the timetable.”
According to the information, the trains of smaller regional railway companies ran normally. A rail replacement service was not set up because it was not possible to use as many buses as would have been necessary to transport the affected train passengers, NS said on Twitter. “I can well imagine that travelers don’t know what they are at the moment,” said the spokesman for the railway. “It’s a real shitty day.”