Train traffic to and from Schiphol Airport was severely disrupted on Sunday, January 5, 2025 due to a defective overhead line.
The outage started around 15:28 and caused major disruption, with thousands of passengers having to adjust their plans. The affected overhead line resulted in many trains in the region being cancelled or diverted. Dutch Railways (NS) advised passengers to consider alternative routes and to keep a close eye on the journey planner.
For many travellers, the disruption was a major disappointment. People with flights on Sunday evening had to find other ways to reach the airport. “I had a flight to London and ended up sharing a taxi with three other people,” said one traveller who made it to his flight just in time. Others opted to use the subway, buses or shared transport, such as electric scooters and bicycles.
In the meantime, the NS did everything it could to restore the situation. Mechanics were busy repairing the damage to the overhead lines from the afternoon. Around 02:00 in the night from Sunday to Monday, the train service was finally resumed, and passengers were able to travel to and from Schiphol again according to schedule.
nuisance continues
Although the trains were running on time again on Monday morning, the impact of the disruption was still noticeable. Some passengers complained about slight delays and extra crowds in the trains due to a build-up of passengers. The NS warned that it could take some time before the timetable would be fully normalized.
A spokesperson for NS apologized for the inconvenience and emphasized that travelers should always consult the latest information via the NS app or website in these types of situations. "We understand that this was an unpleasant situation for many people. Our team worked hard to resolve the malfunction as quickly as possible," the spokesperson said.

With train service now back up and running, the question remains how such disruptions can be limited in the future. Until then, it remains important for travelers to be prepared and have alternatives in reserve.
Unfortunately, such disruptions are not uncommon in the complex Dutch railway network. Schiphol in particular, as a hub for international and regional train traffic, is vulnerable to these types of technical problems. Experts point out that there is a need for a more robust system to resolve disruptions more quickly or even prevent them.
In the meantime, travellers are advised to use other transport options in the event of disruptions, such as the metro or buses that operate in the vicinity of Schiphol. For international travellers it remains difficult; they sometimes have to come up with creative solutions to reach their destination.