Suspected sabotage causes major rail disruptions in the Netherlands

A significant disruption impacted the Dutch railway network during Tuesday’s morning rush hour, leading infrastructure operator ProRail to launch an investigation into suspected sabotage. The outages affected thousands of passengers, primarily in the central and eastern regions of the Netherlands, though some services in the busier western areas also experienced delays.

ProRail reported that materials were deliberately placed on tracks at 24 different locations. These objects caused failures in track circuits, which in turn disrupted signaling and safety systems, as well as railway crossings. The interference impacted both train and road traffic, with the national railway operator, NS, noting that services around the cities of Zwolle, Deventer, and Amersfoort were particularly affected.

According to reports, the materials placed on the tracks included pipes and other objects. One train reportedly struck an object left on the line but remained on the tracks, and no injuries were reported as a result of the incident. The disruptions were concentrated along the Utrecht-Arnhem, Amersfoort-Deventer, and Gouda-Oudewater routes.

ProRail is currently working to clear the tracks while coordinating with law enforcement. To preserve potential evidence, such as fingerprints, workers are handling the removed materials with gloves. Police have confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the disruptions and identify those responsible.

The scale of the outage was extensive enough that the national railway operator stated it could not provide sufficient replacement bus services for all stranded passengers. As of Tuesday, there was no immediate indication of who might be behind the incident, and it remained unclear when the rail network would return to full operational capacity.