About a thousand train passengers were trapped for hours on a train to Utrecht this evening. The train left The Hague at 5.55 pm and came to a stop at Moordrecht. In the hours that followed, there were no lights on the train, the toilets did not work and the doors could not be opened. Also, according to travelers, there was no food and drink.
The NS informs NU.nl that the evacuation of passengers started just before ten o’clock. “A train has parked next to the broken train. People have been transferred,” says the NS spokesman. The intention was that the train would be towed away earlier, but that was not possible due to a defect in the stranded train. The cause of this is not yet clear. “That is still being investigated,” says the spokesperson.
After the evacuation was completed, it was still waiting for permission to drive. The train with evacuees was able to leave just before midnight. “We are doing our utmost to continue the journey as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said. “We are working hard to get everyone home, but we have had a lot of setbacks. If people don’t come home anymore, they can contact customer service.”
There were about a thousand passengers on the train and probably two conductors and a driver, says the spokesperson. It is not surprising that the train was so full, because according to the NS it is always busy on the route between The Hague and Utrecht.
