Monday, June 29

Train service between Rotterdam and the south (and north) disrupted >> no international trains between Amsterdam – London >> Delays to Brussels and Paris
Train service between Rotterdam and the southern part of the Netherlands is disrupted. There will be no international trains running between Amsterdam and London in the coming days. There are also delays on the routes to Brussels and Paris. Cables on the track between Rotterdam and Zwijndrecht were damaged after a fire in a cable trench. Repairs are taking much longer than expected.
Trains run on this route between Rotterdam and cities such as Breda, Tilburg, Eindhoven, and Vlissingen. Due to the malfunction, trains between Rotterdam and Zwijndrecht are not running. This also applies to high-speed trains and freight trains.

ProRail says there are at least one hundred cables and possibly up to 299 “that need to be sorted and welded one by one.” “It’s not particularly difficult work, but it is time-consuming. Once that’s done, the cables—each of which has its own function—need to be tested,” says spokesperson Friso Schotanus.

Repairs to the cables are expected to take until 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. “We hope to finish on time, but it’s still a manual process.” Eventually it took eight days to repair the damages and resume traffic on the rails.
The cause of the fire in the cable trench is still unknown although authorities are hinting at a mysterious bend in the power cables causing them to overheat…