Dutch railway operator NS has announced that it will no longer compensate passengers who use alternative transport during train strikes.
Under the previous policy, stranded travellers could claim up to €25 to cover costs such as taxi fares when trains were halted by industrial action.
The rail carrier has decided to end the reimbursement system entirely ahead of further planned union disruptions.
Regular compensation rules for standard train delays will continue to operate as usual.
Administrative delays and fraud concerns
Bertien Braak, Director of Commerce and IT at NS, stated that managing the alternative travel payments had created major operational difficulties.
Braak described the scheme as complicated, labour-intensive, and particularly susceptible to abuse by people filing illegitimate claims.
The detailed checks required by NS meant that travellers often had to wait several months before receiving their payouts.
Braak noted that it proved difficult for staff to determine whether each submitted claim was genuine, creating extensive backlogs.
Financial impact of recent strikes
The decision follows massive administrative and financial pressure generated during rail strikes in June 2025.
Those June actions resulted in roughly 180,000 separate compensation requests submitted to the national rail operator.
Processing and paying out those requests cost NS €2.8 million for the June 2025 strikes alone.
With further industrial action scheduled on the horizon for 2026, including an upcoming strike on September 9, NS moved to cancel the policy.
Redirecting funds to passenger journeys
NS argued that industrial action is not directed against the company itself, yet it imposes severe financial costs.
Because these expenses are ultimately funded by ticket-buying passengers, the rail operator plans to reallocate the money.
NS stated that it would rather direct those funds toward projects and services that directly improve the journey for travellers.
Passengers travelling during future industrial action, including the September 9 strike, will not receive reimbursements for alternative transport.
