Preliminary figures show that rail users faced more problems due to breakdowns and cancellations last year than ever before, the Telegraaf reported on Wednesday.

In total, more than 10% of services were cancelled on 18 separate days and there were national strikes on two, the paper said.

There were at least 450 ‘major’ problems which led to delays and cancellations, including collisions, signal breakdowns, stormy weather and IT failures. Personnel shortages also led to a large number of services being scrapped.

Chief executive John Voppen is quoted as saying that there is much work to be done. ‘Let us invest in our people and resources to improve our performance,’ he said.

While there were more train services in 2022, figures are still not up to the pre-coronavirus pandemic level. ‘Now passenger numbers are going up, rail travel is once again a key component in keeping the Netherlands accessible,’ he said.

Trouble on the tracks: train travel is becoming a nightmare

Nevertheless, he said, it is important to be realistic. ‘We cannot do everything and… choices will have to be made.’

ProRail is responsible for the maintenance and extension of the national railway network infrastructure, the allocation of rail capacity, and controlling rail traffic. NS is responsible for actual services. Both are 100% state owned.