ProRail heading for another year of too many major train disruptions; 391 and counting

ProRail is unable to get the sharply rising number of major disruptions on the railway under control. This year, the rail manager is heading for another year exceeding the permitted limit of 520 disruptions, standing at 391 major issues at the end of August. And 2027 will likely look much the same, ProRail CEO Mirjam van Velthuizen told AD.

Last year, ProRail exceeded the government’s ceiling of 520 major rail disruptions for the first time in history, recording 586 big problems. State Secretary Annet Bertram (Infrastructure) imposed a fine of €2.75 million on the rail manager. ProRail expects another fine this year.

As of August 31, the counter for “high-impact disruptions” stood at 391, and the year still has four months left. ProRail expects between 508 and 573 major disruptions this year, with staying below the 520 ceiling looking increasingly unlikely. “Unfortunately, it is not realistic to expect us to meet the target,” the company told AD. “It would only be possible if absolutely everything went our way.”

There are several causes behind the high number of disruptions. A significant contributor is the rapid rise in technical failures, such as the cable fire near Rotterdam on June 29 that halted train traffic toward Dordrecht and Noord-Brabant for a week. Then there are trespassers, suicides, and animals undermining the track, and maintenance overrunning its schedule. Three weekends of severe thunderstorms in May and June caused 16 major disruptions, and snow in January caused 12.

"It is very difficult to reduce the number of high-impact disruptions," said ProRail CEO Mirjam van Velthuizen. "That is because our tracks are becoming increasingly busy. Consequently, any disruption has an immediate, massive impact. Moreover, we see that extreme weather is playing an increasingly significant role." Every major disruption is “very frustrating,” she said. “Especially for passengers stranded at stations or shippers unable to get their goods to their destination.”

ProRail had intended to take steps this year to bring the number of disruptions below the 520 ceiling next year, moving towards its own target of 459 incidents. That goal will not be achieved, Van Velthuizen said. “We expect to miss the target next year as well.”