The perpetrators have not been identified and national police are leading the investigation. ProRail said its priority was to get trains running again, while preserving evidence as far as possible.
Annet Bertram, the secretary of state for infrastructure and water management, called the alleged sabotage “particularly worrying,” adding that “it is now important that this is investigated very carefully.”
The incident happened on Prinsjesdag, the annual day marking the start of the Dutch parliamentary year, when the government presents its budget plans for the year ahead.
Dutch media reports suggest that activist farmers may be responsible. Farmers in the Netherlands have a history of using similar tactics in protests against the government’s nitrogen policy, which they may be linking to Prinsjesdag.
The Farmers Defense Force, a protest and advocacy group, says it is not behind the suspected sabotage, but has not ruled out that farmers are responsible for the disruptions.
This is not the first time the Dutch rail network has been severely disrupted by suspected sabotage on the day of a major event. During last year’s NATO summit in The Hague, trains around Schiphol airport were severely delayed after a fire. No one has been arrested in connection with that incident.
European countries are on high alert amid concerns about an uptick in hybrid attacks on the continent. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said last month that Europe faces “an escalating campaign of threats” which were “seeking to divide our Union.”
This story has been updated.
