Train strike: NS sees calm at the stations, roads also noticeably empty

Utrecht station, almost empty. Photo: ANP / Jeffrey Groeneweg

It was quiet at the train stations early this morning. That is partly due to the early hour, but also because passengers have been informed that the NS trains are not running that day, says an NS spokesperson who is at Utrecht Central. "It is virtually empty here."

The only trains that do run are those between Schiphol and Amsterdam Central Station and international trains.

From 04:00 to Saturday 04:00, NS employees in the Central region will be on strike. Because the region around Utrecht is a hub in the rail network, this will have consequences for train traffic throughout the country. There will be no replacement transport.

The strike is about a new wage demand from the FNV. The union wants 4 percent plus 120 euros for NS employees on March 1, 2025 and March 1, 2026. NS does not want to go further than 2.55 percent. In 2022, NS employees received an additional 9 percent and in the previous collective labor agreement, which expired on March 1, the unions and NS agreed on a wage increase of 6.6 percent on average.

The ANWB does not see any extra traffic on the road on Friday morning due to the rail strike. That was already the expectation, because it is always quiet on the road on Friday anyway. "There is only one traffic jam and that is due to a broken down truck," according to a spokeswoman.