Almost all train traffic in the Netherlands will cease on Friday due to strike action by NS (Dutch Railways) personnel in the central part of the country. The strike, organized by unions VVMC and FNV Spoor, will effectively halt train services nationwide.

An NS spokesperson explained that Utrecht, a crucial railway hub, will be the center of the strike, impacting coordination departments and making responsible train operation impossible.

This strike is the first in a series of planned actions, warned by the unions, triggered by the failure of collective labor agreement negotiations between the railway unions and NS management. Further strikes will occur if NS does not meet the demands.

While NS trains operate across most of the Netherlands, some areas in the north are served by other carriers. These other, smaller rail carriers, such as Arriva, will not be affected as they are not part of the NS collective labor agreement negotiations, and their train traffic will continue uninterrupted.