Netherlands: Railways had to interrupt train services due to software error

Digitization is now making its way into many areas of our lives. Even such classic things as the infrastructure of local public transport would be unthinkable without computer technology these days. An example from the Netherlands shows the disadvantages this can bring. Here, on Sunday, 03.04.22, all rail traffic suddenly came to a standstill. Reason for this were problems with the software of the traffic control system.

Anger among travelers was great

Of course, it is the fellow passengers who suffer most from a breakdown in rail traffic. According to media reports, these had to wait for hours at stations as a result of the suspension of all train traffic. The problem became known on Sunday morning. According to experts, an extremely important IT system failed at that time. This system is designed in particular to ensure that all rail traffic operates to the highest safety standards. As a result, the Dutch rail company NS suspended all its traffic around noon. The typical consequences were overcrowded buses as well as cabs as a scarce commodity.

Exceptional state in public transport

The responsible employees of the railroad company did not beat around the bush. Instead, they communicated quite openly with their customers by writing on their website:

“We strongly advise you not to travel, or – if you are already traveling – you should look for other travel options”

On the other hand, those who did not seek advice on the rail company’s website were left in the dark. Finally, the software error was accompanied by a failure of the display boards at the stations. These either displayed nothing at all or could only give rail customers incorrect information about departures and arrivals. However, the railroad company knew that the situation would quickly improve. So it was said that traffic would return to normal on Monday 04.04.22. Fortunately, this was also the case.

German rail traffic also affected

Although the software error affected the Dutch railroad company, but also the German train traffic got to feel this. Trains that crossed the German-Dutch border were affected. For example, the ICE, which runs between Frankfurt am Main and the Dutch city of Utrecht. Deutsche Bahn also had to pull the ripcord here. The corresponding trains were canceled without further ado as of Sunday noon. Fortunately, however, the connection was able to resume its usual service on Monday. Passengers on the IC train between Berlin and Amsterdam, on the other hand, fared somewhat better.

There were “only” delays here. Even if the Dutch railroad company communicated that only its own rail traffic was affected, there were also repercussions for international trains. Of course, this also affected travelers who are neither German nor Dutch. After all, Amsterdam is home to one of the most important airports in Europe. So on this day, Amsterdam’s main train station also became a gathering place for stranded tourists who wanted to travel on to other cities in Europe.

Finding the problem was difficult

The real problem was finding the cause behind the software failure. Apparently, this drove those responsible at the Dutch railroads up the wall. So it’s hardly surprising that the rail company’s press spokesman had the following to say about Sonntag:

“This is a real shit day.”

After hours of searching, however, the IT department then apparently found what it was looking for. Thus, according to the railroad, the error was in a software of essential importance. This is responsible for the coordination and planning of trips of each train. Safe driving is not possible without the software, which is why a stop was certainly unavoidable. Otherwise, collisions would have been imminent in the worst case. This example makes it clear that digitization can be both a curse and a blessing.