19 municipalities from North Holland North and the province are angry about the proposed NS timetable, which must come into effect on December 10, 2023. There will be a lot fewer trains running and that, according to the letter writers, is unacceptable. They express their dissatisfaction in a letter to the NS.
The new timetable would be a ‘deterioration’, which according to the senders of the letter is unacceptable. If the timetable is as currently proposed, the rush-hour intercity between Alkmaar and Haarlem will not return for the time being. “A slow and overcrowded train during rush hour is severely inadequate for travelers on this route,” the letter reads.
It doesn’t stop there: there are already fewer trains running between Hoorn Kersenboogerd via Purmerend to Schiphol. This would be temporary due to staff shortages, but will become permanent. It has also been proposed on Fridays between Alkmaar and Amsterdam until 3 p.m. to halve the number of trains, to just two trains per hour. Only one train per hour will run between Alkmaar and Den Helder every evening from 10:30 PM. Now it is once every half hour.
The letter writers state that if this timetable continues, public transport will deteriorate too seriously. In this way, residents no longer see public transport as a fully-fledged and attractive alternative, and are therefore increasingly buying a car. According to the letter writers, this is not desirable.
Wish
The province wants the NS to take them seriously as a cooperation partner and involve them in taking next steps. The NS has previously promised this, but according to the province it has not been fulfilled. In addition, the province and municipalities expect an improvement in the timetable.
2023-09-12 14:31:44
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