NS will run no trains anywhere in the Netherlands on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, during a nationwide 24 hour public transport strike, with one published exception. The operator’s strike notice, last updated September 3, says the Airportsprinter between Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol, and Hoofddorp will still run four times an hour, while every other NS service that day will not.
If you hold a Dutch train ticket, a Eurostar or ICE seat, or a city transit pass for September 9, treat the day as a no rail day except that airport shuttle and change plans before you fly. Travelers already in Amsterdam should assume trams, metros, buses, and IJ ferries will also stop, which matters for anyone using our Amsterdam city plan or connecting through Schiphol on a tight layover.
- When: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, a 24 hour nationwide strike.
- NS trains: None except the Amsterdam Centraal to Schiphol to Hoofddorp Airportsprinter, four times an hour.
- International rail: Eurostar, ICE, NightJet, EuroCity, and EuroCity Direct will not run in the Netherlands.
- City transit: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague report no trams, buses, or metros; NS expects a regular timetable on September 10.
NS Confirms No Trains Nationwide on September 9
The confirmed fact is simple and wide. NS says unions called a nationwide public transport strike for Wednesday, September 9, and that as a result the company will run no trains in the entire country that day, other than the airport shuttle named above. The notice tells travelers to use other transport and to check the Reisplanner or the NS app shortly before they would have departed.
NL Times reported the same NS confirmation on September 3, including the cancelled international brands and the return of a regular timetable on September 10. The strike is a scheduled shutdown, not a weather closure, so ticket changes now beat waiting for a surprise Intercity.
Schiphol Airportsprinter Keeps the Airport Rail Link
The only NS train NS says will run is the Airportsprinter on the Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol, and Hoofddorp corridor, four times an hour. That is the same exception NS kept in earlier rail strikes. NL Times notes Schiphol won a court order in 2024 to keep an airport rail link during a strike, because a total stop there would gridlock airport roads and create unsafe conditions.
For a US traveler, that exception is the whole Schiphol plan. If your hotel is near Amsterdam Centraal, the Airportsprinter is the rail option NS will still run. If you need Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, or anywhere else on the Dutch map, that shuttle does not get you there. Budget a taxi, a prebooked car, or a night in an airport hotel.
Eurostar, ICE, and NightJet Stop Inside the Netherlands
NS lists the international trains that will not run in the Netherlands on September 9: EuroCity, EuroCity Direct, Eurostar Continental and Channel, NightJet, ICE, the Roosendaal to Antwerp regional trains, and the Liège to Aachen Drielandentrein. If your ticket is one of those brands and the journey enters, leaves, or crosses the Netherlands that Wednesday, NS says the Dutch portion does not operate.
A morning arrival at Schiphol cannot be paired with an afternoon ICE to Germany or a Eurostar to Brussels or London on that date. Rebook the rail leg to Tuesday, September 8, or Thursday, September 10, or replace it with a flight that does not depend on Dutch trains.
NS points travelers to ns.nl and nsinternational.com for international status. Unresolved as of the September 3 notice is the exact clock time the rail stop begins and ends, so until a new clock time appears, plan on the full calendar day rather than a dawn departure.
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague City Transit Also Stops
The strike is not only NS. NL Times reports that local transport in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague will be completely halted, and that HTM, GVB, and RET said there will be no trams, buses, or metros during the day. Amsterdam’s IJ ferries will not sail. The IJ Tunnel will not be opened to cyclists or pedestrians as a substitute, so the usual workaround across the water is also closed.
You may still walk a dense canal district, but you should not count on a tram to a museum or a metro to a farther neighborhood. Cruise passengers using the Amsterdam cruise port on September 9 should treat city transit as stopped and arrange a private transfer rather than a tram or metro from the terminal.
Thursday Service Is Expected, With a Delay Risk
NS says it expects to run the regular timetable again on Thursday, September 10. That is an expectation, not a guarantee of a clean morning. NL Times reports that ProRail, the infrastructure manager, is concerned about delays on Thursday morning as crews and trains come back from a 24 hour stop. Check the Reisplanner again on Wednesday night and before you leave for the station on Thursday.
Tuesday, September 8, is the last full day of ordinary trains before the strike. If Thursday is your only spare day and you have a hard flight out of Schiphol that afternoon, leave more connection time than a normal Intercity would need, because the first hours back can lag.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Fly into or out of Schiphol on September 9 and need Amsterdam Centraal | Use the Airportsprinter only, four times an hour, and do not count on any other NS train. |
| Hold Eurostar, ICE, NightJet, or EuroCity tickets that use Dutch track that day | Assume the Dutch portion will not run. Move the rail to September 8 or 10, or replace it with a flight. |
| Need trams, metros, buses, or IJ ferries in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or The Hague | Assume they will not run. Walk a small radius or prebook a car. The IJ Tunnel will not open to bikes or pedestrians. |
| Must reach another Dutch city from Schiphol or Amsterdam on Wednesday | Do not wait for a train. Book a car, a taxi, or an airport hotel, because NS has no second network that day. |
Tickets, Rebooking, and Checks Before You Travel
NS does not publish a special refund table on the strike page. It tells you to use other transport on September 9, to watch the Reisplanner or the NS app, and to use ns.nl or nsinternational.com for international trains. If you already hold an international ticket, use that issuer’s change rules rather than assuming a blanket waiver.
Domestic NS tickets for September 9 are tickets for trains that will not run. Move the journey to Tuesday or Thursday in the NS app or at ns.nl before you travel. Do not arrive at Amsterdam Centraal hoping a platform display will invent an Intercity to Utrecht or Rotterdam. The operator has already said those trains are off.
US readers connecting through Schiphol should separate the airport from the country. Flights can still arrive and depart, and the Airportsprinter can still cover the short hop to Amsterdam Centraal. Everything else that usually makes a Dutch day easy, from ICE to Germany to a tram across town, is scheduled to stop. If the trip only works when those pieces exist, move it off September 9.
Through Tuesday, September 8: Last full day of ordinary NS trains before the strike. Move Wednesday rail, Eurostar, ICE, and city heavy sightseeing onto this day if you can still change tickets.
Wednesday, September 9: No NS trains except the Amsterdam Centraal to Schiphol to Hoofddorp Airportsprinter. No Eurostar, ICE, NightJet, or EuroCity in the Netherlands. Treat Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague city transit as stopped.
Thursday, September 10: NS expects the regular timetable back. Recheck the Reisplanner before you travel, because ProRail has flagged a delay risk on the first morning after the stop.
What is confirmed is the nationwide NS halt, the Airportsprinter exception, the international brands that will not run in the Netherlands, and the city transit stop in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague. What remains open is the exact start and end clock time for rail, the size of any Thursday morning delay, and each ticket issuer’s own change fee. Until NS posts a narrower window, plan on the full Wednesday.
Will any NS trains run on September 9, 2026?
NS says no, with one exception: the Airportsprinter between Amsterdam Centraal, Schiphol, and Hoofddorp, four times an hour. Every other NS train in the Netherlands is scheduled not to run that day.
Can I still get from Schiphol to Amsterdam Centraal by train?
Yes, on the Airportsprinter only, according to the NS strike notice. Do not count on Intercity or other NS services, and do not assume you can continue by train from Amsterdam Centraal to another Dutch city.
Will Eurostar, ICE, or NightJet still run in the Netherlands?
NS says those international trains will not run in the Netherlands on September 9, along with EuroCity, EuroCity Direct, and the listed regional cross border trains. Rebook to another date or use a flight that does not need Dutch track.
When does NS expect trains to resume?
NS expects the regular timetable on Thursday, September 10. ProRail has warned that Thursday morning could still see delays, so check the Reisplanner shortly before you leave.
Will Amsterdam trams, metros, and buses run that day?
NL Times reports that GVB, RET, and HTM said there will be no trams, buses, or metros, and that Amsterdam’s IJ ferries will not sail. Plan on walking a small area or using a prebooked car.
