NS adds longer trains for Amsterdam protest on 8 November
Rail passengers heading to Amsterdam on Sunday will find longer trains as NS expects a large crowd for the Rode Lijn demonstration; separately, no trains run around Rotterdam all weekend.
i
Illustrative photo: Rob Dammers / CC BY 2.0Dutch Railways (NS) will run longer trains towards Amsterdam on Sunday 8 November for the expected Rode Lijn demonstration on the Museumplein, an NS spokesperson said. The protest, called "De Rode Lijn Voorbij - geen geld voor genocide", starts at 13:00.
NS says extra service staff will be at Amsterdam Centraal and Amsterdam Zuid stations to help manage the flow of travellers. The municipality of Amsterdam is also expecting a large turnout: part of the city will be cordoned off, and buses and trams will run to an adjusted timetable.
Separately from the protest, NS says it is putting on extra replacement buses around Rotterdam, where no trains are running all weekend because of engineering works.
More than 150 organisations back the demonstration. The initiators say it is badly needed because the cabinet is still doing far too little about Israeli violence in Gaza.
The extra capacity is a safety measure, the NS spokesperson explained: "With a large flow of people expected, we ensure sufficient capacity for safety reasons."
More on trains, buses and flights
Rode Lijn
The Red Line is the name of a Dutch pro-Palestinian activist campaign that holds demonstrations, including in Amsterdam, calling on the government to end support for Israel. The name is used for both the campaign and its protest actions, which often draw large crowds and are sometimes announced ahead of time for planning by police and public transport operators.
Museumplein
The Museumplein is a large public square in the Oud-Zuid district of Amsterdam, bordered by the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum. It is one of the city's main open spaces and is regularly used for large demonstrations, concerts and public events.