GSM-R failure cripples Dutch network. An investigation into the cause is underway. Much of the Dutch railway network came to a standstill at around 14.00 on May 31 following the failure of the GSM-R network.
Netherlands Railways (NS) and regional operators Arriva, Connexxion and Transdev, Keolis and QBuzz were hit as well as freight operators while cross-border trains were unable to enter the Netherlands. Only lines in the south of the province of Noord-Limburg and regional, non-electrified lines from Groningen and Leeuwarden were unaffected.
Without functioning GSM-R, trains are not allowed to operate. Infrastructure manager ProRail allowed passenger trains that were in service to arrive at station platforms, but the trains did not continue their journeys. The GSM- R mobile communication network is managed by Mobirail, a joint venture of Nokia and KPN telecom provider. Limited services were restored and continued for the rest of the day and a full timetable resumed on June 1.
ProRail told IRJ that the cause was down a system error. The backup systems began working but they also became overloaded due to the same error and automatically dropped out.