Dutch railway network halted by coordinated track sabotage across dozens of sites

Coordinated disruptions on national rail lines

Coordinated sabotage disrupted train services across central, eastern, and northern parts of the Netherlands on 15 September 2026. Railway infrastructure manager ProRail detected automated section failures during the night as objects were placed across dozens of points on the network. State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Annet Bertram stated in a letter to parliament that between 35 and 40 reports of materials on the tracks were logged. Rail safety systems automatically interpreted the placed pipes and cables as train presence, switching signals to red and halting services. Near Steenwijk, an Intercity service originating from Leeuwarden struck placed material on the track, though no injuries were recorded. International connections were also impacted, including the night train between Amsterdam and Zurich, which arrived in Switzerland 50 minutes behind schedule.

Emergency clearance and security funding calls

ProRail incident response personnel and contractors were deployed along rail corridors, at times walking kilometres along tracks to locate and remove foreign objects. Most mainline services resumed by 18:00, though road traffic at multiple level crossings faced backlogs due to triggered safety barriers. ProRail chief executive Mirjam van Velthuizen stated that railway safety systems prevented collisions but pointed to the vulnerability of the national network. She stated that a recent report estimated 600 million euros is required to make the rail system resilient against tampering. The incident marked the second sabotage event on the network in fifteen months, following the burning of 25 power cables around the NATO summit in June 2025.

“A train could just as easily have derailed.”

Evening incidents and network recovery

Although most railway routes returned to standard timetables late in the afternoon, additional sabotage incidents emerged during the evening hours. Around 17:00, a crossing failure between Holten and Rijssen in Overijssel led technicians to discover a metal bar fastened to the line, halting trains until 19:00. Later, at 21:30, ProRail shut down train traffic between Apeldoorn and Deventer after a signal fault revealed a metal pipe placed on the rails near Teuge. Contractors removed the pipe and transferred the evidence to police, allowing the corridor to reopen around 22:30. ProRail confirmed that overnight surveillance and camera monitoring across vulnerable rail corridors were increased following the disruptions.

Police investigation and activist links

The infrastructure police and the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism launched a joint criminal investigation into the incidents. The sabotage coincided with Prinsjesdag, the formal opening of the Dutch parliamentary year. Earlier in the day, police arrested seven individuals near Breukelen after burning hay bales along the A2 motorway caused smoke and road hazards. Following the arrests, protesters brought tractors to the police holding facility in Houten to demand their release. Agrarian sources confirmed that online chat channels had discussed potential sabotage methods targeting rail infrastructure ahead of the budget day. Agricultural organisation LTO Nederland condemned the interference, while groups Agractie and Farmers Defence Force stated they had no prior knowledge of the rail actions.

“Because of the great societal damage that passengers and carriers have had to experience and the danger that these actions brought with them, I strongly condemn these events.”