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A series of metal pipes deliberately placed on railway tracks brought trains to a halt across parts of the Netherlands during Tuesday’s morning rush hour, triggering a police investigation into suspected sabotage.
The objects were discovered at more than 20 locations across the central, northern and eastern Netherlands, disrupting journeys for thousands of passengers.
Reuters initially reported around 20 incidents, while a ProRail spokesperson later told The Associated Press that disruptions had been recorded at 24 locations.
There was nothing especially high-tech about the method. The pipes interfered with the railway’s safety system, making its computers believe trains were already occupying sections of track.
The system responded exactly as it was designed to do: It stopped other trains from entering.
In effect, a relatively simple object placed in the right spot was enough to confuse a sophisticated transport network and bring morning travel to a standstill.
“At this stage, it appears to be a deliberate disruption of train services caused by human action,” infrastructure operator ProRail said.
Authorities have not identified a suspect or established a motive. Dutch national police are investigating.
Broadcaster NOS showed long, narrow pipes being removed from the tracks, while ProRail workers were reportedly instructed to preserve the objects as possible evidence.
Visegrad24 reported that some of the pipes were about 2 meters long and listed affected routes, including Amersfoort-Zwolle, Zwolle-Leeuwarden, Utrecht-Arnhem, Arnhem-Zutphen, Amersfoort-Deventer, and Gouda-Oudewater.
Dutch authorities had not independently confirmed all those details by Tuesday morning.
Roads were caught in the disruption too
The problems were not limited to rail passengers.
Several level crossings had to remain closed because the system continued to register the tracks as occupied. That also blocked road traffic, leaving motorists facing delays alongside stranded train passengers.
Services around Zwolle, Deventer and Amersfoort were among those hit particularly hard, while disruption was also reported on some routes in the busy western part of the country.
ProRail said its immediate priority was to remove the objects safely and reopen the affected lines. It was unable to say when the timetable would return fully to normal.
The disruption coincided with the Netherlands’ annual Budget Day, when the government presents its spending plans to Parliament and thousands traditionally gather in The Hague. Authorities have not indicated that the timing was connected to the suspected sabotage.
*Source: Visegrad24 and Reuters
