Dutch rail network faces widespread disruptions after deliberate track sabotage at over 30 locations

Morning disruptions across the network

Dutch rail infrastructure manager ProRail reported deliberate sabotage across more than 30 locations on Tuesday morning, halting train traffic across large parts of central and northern Netherlands. The disruptions began at 05:30 when automatic train protection systems registered false occupancy across numerous sections. Perpetrators fastened metal pipes directly to the rails and placed jumper cables across tracks to induce electrical short circuits. Because the safety mechanism interprets closed electrical circuits as an active train presence, signals turned red across the network and automatically closed level crossings to road traffic. ProRail technicians walked kilometres along track sections to inspect lines, encountering some sites where objects were placed a second time after initial removal.

Geographical spread across four provinces

Interference affected lines across Utrecht, Gelderland, Overijssel, and Drenthe. Police in Gelderland located metal pipes and obstructive materials at Barneveld, Twello, Brummen, Putten, and Lunteren. In Utrecht and surrounding districts, authorities documented devices at Veenendaal, Overberg, and Oudewater. Overijssel recorded incidents across four towns: Holten, Deventer, Olst, and Steenwijk. In Steenwijk, an early morning passenger train collided with a pipe on the rails, though rail officials confirmed nobody suffered injuries. In Olst, police collected pipes in evidence bags, while contractors in Deventer used a crane to lift heavy bags of material from the tracks. In Meppel, located in Drenthe, investigators seized jumper cables wired across the rails.

Operational impact and system response

The coordinated disruption halted services on several primary corridors, including routes linking Zwolle to Amersfoort, Utrecht to Gouda, Amersfoort to Apeldoorn, and Deventer to Almelo. Regional passenger trains operated by Arriva in Groningen continued running, but national operator NS halted trains from Groningen at Meppel. The high volume of simultaneous track failures prevented NS from deploying replacement bus fleets, and heavy user demand slowed the national journey planner application throughout the morning. ProRail and NS initiated a phased restart of passenger train traffic late Tuesday morning, although delays and cancellations persisted around Amersfoort and Deventer. Repair teams and private contractors worked alongside rail safety marshals while wearing protective gloves to preserve forensic traces on all recovered hardware.

I trust that we will quickly get clarity on the circumstances.

Security investigation and political backdrop

The national police division Landelijke Expertise en Operaties and the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) opened an inquiry to determine responsibility and motives. ProRail operates several thousand security cameras across its 7,000-kilometre network, including artificial intelligence systems introduced in early 2026 to detect suspicious trackside behaviour. The sabotage coincided with Prinsjesdag, the opening of the parliamentary year in The Hague. Road operator Rijkswaterstaat reported roadside fires along highways later in the day, following earlier warnings from the agricultural group Farmers Defence Force. An FDF spokesperson told regional broadcaster RTV Drenthe that the organisation did not organise the rail disruptions, though they did not exclude actions by individual farmers protesting government nitrogen policies.