There will be far fewer trains between The Hague and Rotterdam on Thursday morning because of a points problem and from 11am services will stop while repairs are carried out, track operator ProRail has said.

The problems came to light on Wednesday night, when a tear was discovered in the points system near Schiedam.

The repairs will take until at least 5pm and it will take a further 90 minutes after that for normal services to resume, ProRail said.

The NS is using buses to replace some services but advises travellers to check timetables and ‘take their own decisions’.