Public transport in the Netherlands, including international train services, is set to grind to a halt on Wednesday (9 September) due to a 24-hour strike by unions representing rail and transport staff.
The walkout, running from 2am on 9 September to 2am on 10 September, will mean there are no services on trains, buses, trams and metros across the country.
This will include all international operators with services running to the Netherlands, such as Eurostar, Nightjet and Deutsche Bahn’s ICE services.
Dutch train operator NS warned that “no trains will be running anywhere in the Netherlands” on 9 September, with passengers advised to “use alternative transport”.
The only exception on the strike day will be Airportsprinter train services between Amsterdam Central, Schiphol Airport and Hoofddorp, which will run as normal with four services per hour.
NS added in a statement that it planned to resume its regular timetable on Thursday (10 September).
In an update to passengers, Eurostar said: “No national or international trains will be able to run on the Dutch network on that day (9 September). There will also be some disruption on the evening of Tuesday, 8 September, and the morning of Thursday, 10 September.
“We know how important your travel plans are and we're sorry for the disruption this strike will cause.”
Multiple unions are taking part in the 24-hour strike in protest at the Dutch government’s plans to cut spending on social security, including unemployment benefits.
Schiphol Airport also warned that it “will be harder to reach” during the strike period, with only the Airportsprinter due to be in operation.
“All other forms of public transport, such as metro, tram and bus, will not operate,” said the airport. “We expect many travellers to come by car, which may lead to additional congestion on the roads around the airport.”