Suspected sabotage disrupts Dutch rail network on Budget Day

Train services across the Netherlands were severely disrupted on Tuesday morning after railway infrastructure operator ProRail reported that objects, including pipes, were deliberately placed on tracks at multiple locations in what officials are treating as suspected sabotage. The incidents, which began around 5:30 a.m. CET, triggered safety systems and caused widespread cancellations and delays, particularly affecting the central and eastern regions around Zwolle, Deventer, and Amersfoort during the morning rush hour. ProRail stated that materials were found at approximately 20 to 24 locations, causing section malfunctions and signalling systems to read tracks as occupied. "It appears that this material was deliberately placed on the tracks. We suspect sabotage," a ProRail spokesperson said. The disruption was so extensive that national railway operator NS stated it was "not possible" to provide a bus replacement service. One train struck an object near Steenwijk, but ProRail confirmed no injuries resulted.