The Netherlands could record more major railway disruptions than the government allows for the second consecutive year.
ProRail had recorded 391 high-impact disruptions by August 31, 2026.
The government allows a maximum of 520 major disruptions each year. ProRail expects the final number for 2026 to fall between 508 and 573.
“Unfortunately, it is not realistic to expect us to meet the target,” ProRail said.
The railway manager added that it could remain below the limit only if everything went well during the final four months.
In 2025, ProRail recorded 586 major disruptions. It was the first time the company exceeded the government’s annual ceiling.
State Secretary for Infrastructure Annet Bertram fined ProRail €2.75 million over the result. The company expects another fine if it fails to meet the target this year.
Technical failures have contributed to the rising number of disruptions.
A cable fire near Rotterdam on June 29 stopped trains travelling towards Dordrecht and Noord-Brabant for one week.
Other causes included people entering railway tracks, fatal incidents, animals damaging the ground beneath tracks and maintenance work taking longer than planned.
Severe thunderstorms during three weekends in May and June caused 16 major disruptions. Snowy conditions in January caused another 12.
ProRail CEO Mirjam van Velthuizen said the Dutch railway network is becoming busier. This means one incident can quickly affect large numbers of passengers and freight services.
Extreme weather is also having a growing effect on railway operations.
ProRail previously planned to reduce major disruptions to 459 in 2027. Van Velthuizen now says the company also expects to miss next year’s target.
